Dancing Outside the Lines
by Proudofyoubabe
Summary: Ranger is threatened with a court martial from the U.S. government and forced into hiding. Rangeman asks Stephanie to help. Can anything good come from this combination?
1. Chapter 1

Dancing Outside the Lines

A/N: This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. I got off to a shaky start but I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive. I guess I should rate this T as I have no idea yet about the actual words that are going to adhere themselves to this paper.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Chapter 1 _The alley_

I had just sashayed into the Bonds office and was standing in front of Connie's desk, looking at the latest batch of skip files, when I felt that familiar tingle down my spine. "Afternoon, ladies." Gesturing to Connie and Lula. "Babe," Ranger nodded to me, skimming my body with his as he passed and headed into Vinnie's inner sanctum.

"Humph," Lula said. "Looks like you're getting the bums rush today. No lingering fingers on your lily white neck- what'd you do to piss off Batman, white girl?"

"It's not like that, it's complicated."

"Complicated, my ass. You just don't want to own up. We know you and Batman have this thing for each other. When you guys gonna get off your asses and admit it? I see how he looks at you, and I see that look on your face when he's around and you think no one's paying attention."

Just as Lula was finishing up her tirade, Ranger came out of Vinnie's office with that 200-watt smile on his face. "Babe, can I see you outside, now?"

"What I say?" Lula mumbled to Connie under her breath.

I put the files down and followed Ranger out front. He took me by the elbow and ushered me into the alley that's between the Bonds office and the bookstore next door. Leading me in a little further than usual, he leaned against the wall, one foot flat against it casually, and pulled me to him by my collar. He looked at me straight in the eyes with that dilated-black, hungry look of his and kissed me. Lots of tongue, so I knew he was serious. "I have to go away for a couple of weeks Babe. When I get back, we have to talk."

"Uh, ok Batman. What's wrong with right now?" I asked, trying to get him to open up a bit.

"Be patient. If I'm gone for more than two weeks, Tank will be in touch." I looked up at him to see if he would continue. "I can't tell you more. Gotta go."

With that he pulled me to him again so there was no space between us and kissed me—a really wonderful kiss that could certainly lead to other things if we weren't in an alley. In fact, I think it was _me_ that inserted a knee between _his_ legs during the process and oh my God, I felt him respond. We broke apart, breathless, with a lot of mutual longing. "Gotta go, Babe. I'm in the wind. See Tank if you need anything."

You would think after all these years I wouldn't be surprised that he'd leave so suddenly, saying so little, but once again I was left with my mouth hanging open (just hoped I wasn't drooling) as he took off into the sunset to fight the bad guys. I tried to adjust myself a little and finger-comb my rat's nest of a hairdo as I walked back into the Bonds office, knowing Connie and Lula would have a million questions that I just didn't have answers for.

"You look like you've been thoroughly kissed," Lula smiled, taking in my bedraggled appearance. "What's up with Batman? He off to save third-world countries again?"

"The Man of Mystery didn't say anything, except he'd be gone for a few weeks." And he wants to talk. Hmm, I wondered what that was about? Actually if I thought about it for too long I could come up with a zillion ideas and none of them would be too good. Guess I'd just have to wait and find out for myself—it's wasn't like he ever told me anything anyway. Who knew, when he got back maybe I'd find out that all he wanted was a dentist referral. I shook my head. Batman wouldn't need a dentist referral. His teeth were perfect.

Chapter 2 _The mission_

13 days, 7 hours and 51 minutes after Ranger went into the wind, I got a call from Tank. "Bomber? Tank. Can you meet me at Rangeman in an hour?"

I was silent for two beats. "Is this about Ranger?"

"I can't tell you anything over the phone, meet me on 5–my office, one hour."

"Ok I'll try. I'm sitting here staking out Mickey Kraven…Lula and I need to take him in. Today's the last day on his bond and Vinnie's losing it."

"Santos can help, I'm sending him over now. Where are you?"

"I'm the only one signed on for this apprehension. I can't just leave this to Lula and Lester."

"Your GPS tracker is showing me you're at McKinley and Chambers, Santos is on his way," he said as he hung up. I swear sometimes Tank has the phone manners of a Neanderthal.

Five minutes later the doors of a brand new, shiny black Explorer opened and Lester and Ram jumped out. "Hey Beautiful, Boss man #2 sent us to get this ass-wipe so you and he can pow-wow. Let's roll, you don't want to keep the man waiting." With that, Lester and I approached Kraven's front door, guns drawn . That is, Lester's gun was drawn. I had my trusty can of hair spray in my left hand and my cuffs in my right. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lula and Ram head to the back door—her AK-47 held prominently in both hands, in case he tried for a hasty escape.

Kraven is a blondish, scruffy-haired guy about 6 foot tall, decent build, with blood-shot blue eyes. He was the type of guy that looked like he drank a six-pack for breakfast. What I didn't expect was the iron ball apparatus with spikes sticking out of it, attached to a chain in his right hand when he opened the door. He looked right at me, and started swinging. Holy shit that thing looked like it could turn me into Swiss cheese! Good thing Les was off to the right, out of Kraven's field of vision covering me. We always try to not shoot anyone, but this guy was begging for a flesh wound, and Lester let him have it—right to the shoulder—and he droped that contraption like a hot potato. As soon as Ram and Lula heard the shot, they were through the back door and on Kraven in under a minute. Within two, he's cuffed, dragged into the back of the SUV, and shackled to the restraints on the floor. The Mighty Men came through again.

"OK Beautiful, Ram can take him in. Give him your paperwork. I'll take Lula back to the Bonds office and then take you to Rangeman. Give me your keys; you're shaking like a leaf. You're too shook up to drive." Usually I'd fight him on that, but Lester was right. I saw my life flash in front of me when Kraven started swinging that thing at me. Good thing I didn't throw up. Ten minutes later we'd dropped Lula off and were headed to Haywood.

"Les, do you know what's on Tank's mind?" I asked, trying to pry some information out of him.

"No can do, Beautiful. You gotta talk to the man himself."

"Yeah, but he scares me sometimes."

"Yeah, me too." Lester laughed slightly. We spent the rest of the short drive in silence, which was unusual for the normally chatty Lester.

Les fobbed the parking gate open and parked as close to the elevator as humanly possible. Going up to the 5th floor I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. "OK, its show time", I said to myself as we got out. I quickly thanked Lester for his help and he turned to head to his cubicle. I headed in the opposite direction to Tank's office.

"Bomber, come on in," Tank said as he grinned. I hugged the wall as I approached cautiously and tried to make myself invisible, which didn't seem to be working. "Sit down," he said as he closed the door and folded himself back behind his desk. I sat down, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "We have a little problem on our hands. Ranger's mission went FUBAR…"

I start to get up. "Is he…?"

"Sit. He's ok, Bomber, but…."

"But what, Tank? What are you not telling me?" I had tears in my eyes now and was starting to shake.

"Please, calm down and let me tell you what I can. Ranger finished his mission two days ago. He was supposed to be extracted last night but the helicopter that was coming for him was shot down before it made it to him. We know where he is, but the government can't get another helo to him for 3 days. We have ways and means that the government doesn't and one of our 'copters is on it's way to him right now. It would be really dangerous for him to remain there any longer and his cover might be exposed. The 'copter will take him to catch a plane back to the states. But because we aren't authorized to do this extraction we have to lay low in Miami for at least the 4 to 5 days it would take for the government's 'copter to get in, switch him to a plane, and get back here. If they suspect our involvement, they will be looking to try to court martial all of us, so we need to set up a front until all of this passes over."

"We'd like for you to go down to Miami with Lester posing as a married couple on vacation. Since the physical descriptions of Lester and Ranger are pretty much the same, "good-looking, well-built Latino", we can easily switch out Lester for Ranger once you're down there."

I listened intently as Tank explained his proposed plan. I wasn't sure I could pull it off but if I was honest with myself, I didn't want to disappoint Ranger. "I don't think the couple thing is a good idea," I said. "Look what happened in Hawaii."

"The only person I blame for that fiasco is Morelli. What kind of a macho, asinine move was that? Did he really think you wanted him to just show up?"

"I invited him to come with me, and when he couldn't I never expected him to just come anyway. You know the whole story, don't you?"

"I try to keep out of Ranger's personal life, but yeah, I know about the high bond skip and Mr. & Mrs. Manoso," he said with a wolf-grin on his face.

"If I agree to this, what do you need me to do?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"You'll be traveling as Mr. & Mrs. Victor Colón, wealthy businessman and his second wife living in Scarsdale, NY. Hal is getting the documentation together as we speak. I'll have driver's licenses, passports, and credit cards for you, Lester, and Ranger within the hour. There's a commercial flight out of Newark leaving at 5 today. That should give you enough time to go home and take care of things. Since we need you to pass for a very well-to-do couple, Ella will shop and pack for you and Lester…I even see matching luggage," he said with a wry smile. Who knew Tank could even smile?

"And if I don't agree, what will happen? Who will you get to play Mrs. Colón? Uh, what's her first name?"

"It's Jennifer…Victor and Jennifer Colón. If you don't want to do this, we were thinking maybe Jeanne Ellen…"

My first thought was 'over my dead body'! "Ok, ok," I quickly chimed in. "I'll do it." There's no way on earth that I'd let Ranger spend four days with Jeanne Ellen. Tank looked at me and smiled again. "I said that out loud didn't I? Shit."

Tank barely nodded but I could tell the weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The flight took off without delay and I settled in to stare out the window as the Jersey landscape got smaller and smaller. The plane banked after its ascent and headed towards the open waters of the Altantic for the 2½ hour flight to Miami. I could tell Lester sensed something was going on with me, because he kept trying to get me to talk. My one-word answers were probably annoying him as I saw him shifting awkwardly in his seat through the corner of my eye.

I rummaged around in my bag, looking for some gum and growled when I realized that I was coming up empty handed. Irritated, I grumbled to myself and thought back on how my mood had seriously gone down hill. My emotions had been all over the place today. I went from trying to catch an FTA this morning to make ends meet, to being scared that something terrible had happened to Ranger. And then I found myself on a plane headed towards Miami. How was it that my life was so unpredictable? 'It's my fucked up mood and I intend to enjoy every second of it. I can call my mother and Joe when we land, not that Joe will even care. We are so off-again that it looks like there will never be another on', I continued my one-way rant to myself as Lester picked up the _In Flight_ magazine from the seat pocket in front of him and buried his head in it.

2 hours and 10 minutes later the flight attendant came over the loudspeaker to announce our descent into Miami International Airport. We put our seats back into their upright position and Lester took my hand for the landing.

"Beautiful…Jennifer," Lester cooed in my ear. "Are you ready for a week in Paradise with me? I can make you feel oh so good."

"Lester…"

Lester laughed as he took my hand again. "Seriously Steph, is everything ok? Are you going to be able to do this? "

"I don't know Les. This is bringing up a lot of stuff I thought I shoved aside. You know all about my trips into denial land…they have this habit of making me believe everything is ok. And this is beginning to feel a lot like Hawaii." I took a deep breath and figured I might as well go for broke and let Lester know how I really felt. He'd always been a good friend to me and right now I really needed to be honest with someone.

"I… I really do love him you know? How can I spend 4 days with him…pretending…again? It just keeps getting harder and harder. I know he feels something…I guess. I mean the physical stuff is there. It's really hard for us to keep our hands off each other—all of you guys have seen it on tape, I'm sure. Part of me wants that to be enough, but the other part wants…I don't even know what the other part wants. Oh God, I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"It's ok Beautiful, shhh, it'll be ok." Lester picked up my hand, kissed it, and looked into my eyes with such a softness that I couldn't help but believe him and hope that everything would be ok. Denial land here I come.

Leaving the baggage claim carousel we were approached by a well-dressed limo driver with a _Mr. & Mrs. Colón_ sign prominently displayed in his hands. We walked over to him and he took our matching bags from Lester. "I could get used to this kind of treatment," I mumbled to Les as we followed him to a shiny black Mercedes parked right in front.

The driver opened the back door for us and Lester, never one to miss an opportunity, kissed me thoroughly on the lips with a "Welcome to Miami" greeting as we ducked into the limo, followed by a whispered, "You never know who's watching."

On the way to our private oasis, our limo driver introduced himself. His name is Jorge Rodriguez and he would be our chauffeur for the week. I wondered if he was on the up and up? I guessed I'd do a search on him once we were settled in and I had a chance to power up my laptop. I wondered if he was even a Rangeman employee? I also wondered if he got a good look at Lester…or enough of a look to be able to tell the difference between Les and Ranger once the swap was made. Tank mentioned that I shouldn't be too trusting.

I could feel the humidity doing things to my hair as we continued our drive along the palm tree laden highway, the sun setting off to our right. I had no idea where we were, but my spidey-sense told me we were heading south. About 20 minutes later we arrived at what looked to me like a private mansion. It was beautiful…I could see a pool with a waterfall; trees, shrubs and flowering plants were everywhere. I thought I was in paradise. As I looked around, it appeared that we were the only ones here and I silently wondered where Ranger was? Was he even in this country yet? And my most important question to myself was, 'could I keep up this charade'?


	2. Chapter 2

Dancing Outside the Lines

A/N: This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. I got off to a shaky start but I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive. I guess I should rate this T as I have no idea yet about the actual words that are going to adhere themselves to this paper.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Chapter 3 _Ranger_

"Just how much like a married couple are we supposed to act?" I whispered to Lester as Jorge brought our bags in from the car. "I mean, are we supposed to share a bed? It looks like there are probably a lot of rooms here. Do you think we're under surveillance and have to keep up the act even inside?"

"I don't know, Beautiful. Let's just have Jorge bring our bags to the master suite and we can sort this out with Tank after he leaves. I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you though", he wolf-grinned to me.

I smacked him in the arm. "Bastard."

Jorge left and Lester went outside to call Tank on a secure line, not trusting cameras or bugs in the place until he could give it a sweep later.

"Not good news, man", Tank told him after the obligatory "Yo" greetings. "They are on to us, and they know we got Ranger out. I wouldn't trust anything or anyone until you hear otherwise from me. We can make this whole thing go away, but we have to get to the right people, and right now the wrong people are looking for us, and Ranger. They seem to think Rangeman Miami is responsible so the heat will be off Trenton at least for now, but they've already got agents canvassing the area. I don't think they are on to your aliases yet and Ranger is coming in on a private jet tonight also as Victor Colón. Don't worry Santos, it's a very common name."

"Think we should find someplace else to stay? Do you think they could trace back the rental on this place to Rangeman and find us? I don't worry so much for my safety, but I don't want to put Steph in any danger."

"I was going to suggest the same thing. Use one of your Colón credit cards and check yourselves into some up-scale hotel. It looks like the Ritz Carlton in Coconut Grove has a couple of 5-room suites available. Book it as yourself though, I don't want anything connecting us to those rooms. And get a car too, I don't know if I'd trust your driver, what did you say his name was?"

"He says he's Jorge Rodrigues, from Miami. Yeah, another common name. Steph has her laptop with all the search programs on it with her. While I book the rooms and car, she can start a search. Can you get the info on our new location to Ranger? I don't want him coming here and walking into a trap. Does he have a secure line?"

"He's coming in on a NetJets plane—our businessman, Victor Colón has a corporate account. There's no way to trace that back to us and I'll call him as soon as everything is settled and there's a car waiting. I'm sure he knows how to get to the Ritz. Call me back with the room info."

Lester didn't look very happy as he walked back into the house. His conversation with Tank must have not been a good one. Just as I was about to let my mind get carried away with worst case scenarios, Lester relayed his conversation with Tank to me and told me about our cover being blown.

"Shit, shit and double shit. Lester, how did they get on to this so quickly? I was running a search on our driver through his chauffeur's license number while you were on the phone with Tank and the pictures that came up don't match the man we saw driving. I was about to come out and tell you, but you were pacing and I knew that what you were hearing wasn't good. Let's get out of here right now. You know, he could still be here, right outside our private gate. He said we could just call and he'd be here within 10…10 minutes away isn't too far."

"I'm having the car delivered to us here. Our rental car driver is going to have to be buzzed through the gate so I'll walk over there to make sure no one follows him in. Pack up anything you unpacked, I'm going outside to make all the arrangements."

"Yes, Boss," I answered in a tone that let Les know I usually don't like being told what to do.

_A five-room suite at the Ritz! Maybe it's time to update my Facebook status? No, no, no, maybe Jennifer Colón should update her Facebook status._ I was still fantasizing about my life as a wealthy woman when a buzzer awoke me from my daydream. I guessed our car had arrived. I looked at Lester to see what he wanted me to do and he motioned for me to wait while he went to the gate before I buzzed the car in. We were all packed and ready to go, so as soon as we dropped our driver off back at the car rental place, we would be able to talk freely again.

Lester gave me the all-clear sign as he followed the rental car up the driveway at a pretty decent sprint. Our driver got in the back seat and Lester took the wheel after putting our bags in the trunk. Hopefully the drama was over for now.

A hop, skip, and a jump later, we dropped the rental car guy off at his office. I opened a GPS app on Les' iPad, typed in the address, and we followed an annoying female voice that snaked us through Miami. "Beautiful," Les said once I had the GPS thing under control, "I think you should be the one to sign us in. I'm going to pretend to get a phone call and go off to take it. I don't want them paying too much attention to what I look like. You can tell them I'm your brother-in-law or something and that your husband will be checking in later tonight. Not sure what time Ranger will get here, but I want to have a cardkey for him at the desk."

"Maybe we should get in touch with Silvio too? Find out the latest on the feds snooping around after Ranger. If anyone can get a bead on them, he can," I thought to ask Lester when he mentioned a phone call.

"I don't think it's too safe to call anyone at Rangeman right now. I'm pretty sure I have his cell programmed in to my phone, though," Les said as he took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Can you check for me?"

"Les, I can't believe how warm this phone is. You sure give off a lot of body heat," I teased him, taking his phone to check on Silvio's listing. "Yes, he's here. Want me to call him?"

"Let's wait till we get settled in. The longer we give him, the more information he'll probably have for us."

We finally made it to the very-well lit-up hotel. Our meet and greet by the uniformed bell caps outside was nothing less than surreal and our car and bags were swiftly brought to their perspective homes for the night. Checking in was a cinch and Les snuck off while I explained my _husbands'_ late night arrival to the desk lady and secured a key for him to pick up when he arrived. We took an elevator up to our suite on 3 and when I opened the door, I couldn't believe what I saw. Opulence on top of opulence—dark mahogany woods, polished marble floors, and oriental carpets throughout. There was a living room, a dining room, an office, another room with a pullout couch and a huge plasma TV next to a smaller bathroom with shower, two balconies and the master suite with attached marble bath… and a jacuzzi, of course. As I looked around I made a startling discovery. There was only one bedroom... we'd have to figure out the sleeping arrangements when Ranger got here. And would Lester stay on the pullout couch? I quickly pushed any of those thoughts firmly into denial land. In my mind, I had already claimed the bedroom.

It was almost 9:30 and my stomach was starting to react violently to its lack of food since lunch. "Les, room service or go out, I have to have something to eat soon or I'll die," I said as my stomach growled loudly again.

Les looked a little exasperated. Finally he grabbed his keys from the side table where he'd placed them earlier. "I don't want you dying on me so let's go out. How about Italian, a little something for everyone?" I shook my head and agreed, knowing I could get some fettuccini alfredo with sausage and extra sauce, and maybe even have some tiramisu for dessert. Les could have whatever rabbit food he wanted. I didn't care as long as I got the real deal.

We took the elevator down to the lobby and asked about Italian places nearby. As it turned out there was one right around the corner that was highly rated and still open for dinner. We walked in and were taken to a table in the back. Les grabbed the seat by the wall so he could see all of the tables around us and still keep an eye on the front door. What is it with these men in black and their backs to the wall?

Our waitress came around to take our drink order, looked Les up and down, and flirted with him as he ordered a bottle of the house red for us to share. Les was only partially oblivious to her tits in his face. I'm definitely a 2-glass-max kind of girl, so I hoped Les was thirsty or willing to carry me back to the room. Our waitress was back with the bottle and a corkscrew before I had a chance to scan the menu. I gave her a snide look and assumed he wanted us to order quickly. Maybe Miss Tits-In-Your-Face had a hot date. I figured if this was an Italian place I could get my fettuccini alfredo without having to read through a 4-page menu, so I just ordered it. Les got some kind of baked chicken thing and a salad. I knew it!

After a second glass of wine and my Fettuccini dish, I was feeling mellow yet talkative...probably bordering on obnoxious and I asked Les all kinds of questions about his life trying to get him to open up to me about Ranger. It killed me that I knew so little about that man after all this time. Yeah I knew about the four sisters and a brother. One sister named Celia. Parents still living in Newark where he grew up. A Grandma Rosa, I guess in Newark and a Grandma Maria in Miami. Hey, I guess I knew more than I thought I did. But what I really wished I knew was something about the _man_. Les wasn't giving me what I wanted so I changed the subject to sleeping arrangements and made a claim for the bedroom with all those very inviting pillows.

Lester and I continued to chat over dinner, sipping wine and talking about mostly nothing. He didn't want to share the information I wanted about Ranger…and I didn't want to push him too far. I decided about halfway through dinner–while I was on my fourth glass of wine–that Lester was a likeable guy. He flirted frequently and had the ability to make me forget my troubles and feel good about myself. That was something I didn't feel too often. When we finished the meal, Lester paid and helped me negotiate the block and a half walk back to our hotel. The last thing I remembered was him laughing quietly at me as I plopped down on the couch, shut my eyes and promised I only needed to rest them for a minute to stop the dizziness I was feeling.

The next morning, I woke up to a physical presence in the bed with me—an arm around my midriff and my body spooned into another. I wasn't quite sure where I was, so I opened my eyes tentatively. I felt all warm and comfy. I moved and the arm wrapped around me protectively. "Mmm," I responded from the depths of the dream I was still in as someone pulled me in tighter. My ass wiggled closer to the promised land next to me and I felt happy as a clam in my semi-awake state.

"Ranger?"

"Mmm, Babe, morning."

"Ranger, what are you doing in my bed?"

"Nothing yet, but I could be doing something we'd both like," Ranger said as he kissed my neck and nibbled on my earlobe.

"Not with Lester in the room next to us. That man has super-power hearing."

Ranger took my hand in his and looked down at my fingers. He moved the ring finger of my left hand up to his lips and took it into his mouth. I could feel the metal and stones heat up as he twirled his tongue around the rings and my finger. It was such an erotic feeling; my finger was so warm…it felt like my skin was being branded. I also felt like I soiled my panties.

"Mmm, Babe. Looks like I've put rings on your fingers again."

I glanced down at my rings. "Um, actually not you this time. Technically it was Ella, but since I don't go there…"

Ranger laughed before I could continue my sentence.

"Ranger I want to talk to you about something before I forget. I did a distraction with Tank, Hal and Zero, and Binky while you were away. It was a pretty easy job, we got the skip out of the bar without too much trouble–and I um, looked at my checking account balance yesterday and Rangeman deposited $13,000 in it. That's too much money. I know he was a high-end skip, but he couldn't be worth that much just for my part."

"Let's talk about this later Babe. I smell coffee brewing. I could really use a shower and we need to figure out how to stay out of trouble for the next few days. Looking around last night I saw 2 baths. Why don't you take this one and I'll shower in the other. We can meet in the dining room in say 10 and the 3 of us can order breakfast and talk about next steps." With that, Ranger got up and out of the bed. I watched as quite possibly the world's most that beautiful man, in those silky black boxers that were sitting awfully low on his hips, got up and walked across the room. Subsequently, I started to drool and wondered why I hadn't taken him up on his offer. Damn Hungarian hormones.

I quickly showered and met Les and Ranger in the dining room of the suite. We were eating breakfast–I had blueberry pancakes with lots of butter and syrup while they had yogurt, twigs and bark–when my phone rang. I looked at the display, saw it was my mother, rolled my eyes, and answered. She was probably wondering where I was since I still hadn't had a chance to call her.

"Hi mom," I answered the phone, grimacing as she started in on me.

"I bumped into Joe at Giovichinni's and I invited him for dinner on Sunday. It's time you two get over your little spat and get back together again."

"Mom, I told you, it's over, done, fini…Joe and I are not getting back together and I'm not sure I'll be back by Sunday anyway so you better call him up and un-invite him. I'm surprised he even accepted. He knows how I feel."

"And where are you that you won't be back for a nice pot roast on Sunday?" My mother replied, completely oblivious to the "Joe and I are not getting back together" part of our conversation.

"I'm in Florida doing a job for Rangeman. We left yesterday and Tank expects it to take 4 or 5 days. You heard what I said, didn't you mom?"

I heard an audible sigh on the other end of the line. "I gotta go, Mom, talk to you later." And I hung up. Sometimes my conversations with my mother drained me. And usually left me in a really bad mood.

Ranger took my hand in his with a bemused smile on his face and said, "Really, Babe?"

I came out of my stupor and realized Ranger was talking to me. "Huh?"

"Babe, were you serious about things being over with Morelli?"

I looked down and nervously picked at an imaginary spot on my jeans. Why was I uncomfortable talking about Morelli with Ranger? Probably because I didn't do emotions easily, and to tell the truth, it'd hurt when I found out that Morelli hadn't exactly been faithful to me. I cleared my throat. "Umm…yeah, I guess my previously unhealthy relationship got even more unhealthy. I'm pretty sure he's been doing Terry anyway. Stop grinning, this is for real."

"Babe."

"I don't want to talk about it." And to change the subject, I added, "Let's figure out the plan for making you invisible, Batman."

Lester took this opportunity to speak up. "I spoke to Silvio while you guys were showering, and with what he can best put together, the Feds were expecting us to come for you as soon they heard about the downed 'copter. We all knew this was supposed to be your last government op and not an easy one. And we were all well aware that your chances of survival wouldn't be good if you stayed down there any longer. We had to get you out ASAP. Maybe that was their plan all along…maybe you know too much and they were setting you up. They could have shot their own 'copter down. And since that plan was foiled, if they can now prove the extraction was set-up by Rangeman, you and Tank will probably end up in jail for a long time…another good way to make sure you never use what you know. We have to be really careful with this one."

I'm got sicker and sicker to my stomach with every word Les said. Could our own government really want to eliminate Ranger? This man had been loyal to them to a fault, if you asked me. And what was up with Les and Ranger speaking so freely in front of me? They'd never done that before. Maybe now _I_ knew too much too.

"We can fix everything if we can get to McHugh," Ranger replied. "He has a way of making the paperwork disappear. Tank told me he had calls in to him and was just waiting to hear back."

"Well we can't be sitting ducks while we wait on McHugh. I think you and Steph should follow through on that vacation and disappear for a while. I wouldn't fly anywhere, but the Keys aren't that far of a drive, and if we have to get you out of the country, Cuba is just a short plane flight away."

"Lester, you're talking about me like I'm not here. Don't I get a say in this?" I was ready to go rhino. "I can't stay down here forever. I have skips to capture, bills to pay. My rent is due!" I was getting madder and madder with every word, adding to the bad mood my mother put me in.

"Beautiful, will you listen for a minute? Rangeman will pay your bills don't worry. I'll personally go after your skips and meet with Dillon to make sure your rent is paid up. I thought _you_ would feel the same way _we_ do. Our number one priority is to keep Ranger safe until Tank can do his magic and make that court martial disappear. You and Ranger might even have fun in the Keys. It's pretty down there this time of year and there are great restaurants, nice beaches, and no one will be on to you. They are looking for an ex-special forces guy on his own, heading north to Trenton. Not a vacationing couple driving down to Key West."

"It sounds different when you put it that way Lester. Ok, when should we leave?"

"Why don't you guys take off this afternoon? I'll stay here another night or so as Victor Colón, just in case they've tracked us to this hotel. It'll give you a head start."

"I don't want to leave until our care package arrives from Rangeman. We need to be armed and ready for anything. I want to get my hair cut, and I think some black, thick-framed glasses will help too," Ranger finally said. "There's a high-end salon in the hotel, so I don't even have to go outside and I saw an Oliver Peoples on my way here last night. Babe, want to come with me?"

I couldn't believe Ranger was consulting me on a haircut and glasses. I liked his hair long, but I understood the need to fit in better. I didn't mind it when he had it cut last time…it looked so sexy when it fell in his face. Hmmm. Sexy Ranger.


	3. Chapter 3

Dancing Outside the Lines

A/N: This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. I got off to a shaky start but I think I'm finally getting the hang of this. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive. I guess I should rate this T as I have no idea yet about the actual words that are going to adhere themselves to this paper.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Chapter 4 _The Mojito Topic_

I sat there and watched Ranger's hair fall down the black cape to the floor…inch after inch of dark brown gorgeous hair. I had to hold myself back from bending down to pick up a sample for posterity. How embarrassing would that be? 'Uh, it's ok Ranger. If I can't have you, maybe I can have a lock of your hair?' Yeah, that would go over real big.

I thought Ranger looked great when he was done and blown out. Perfectly cut to look not cut. Longish, but with style…I'd follow this man anywhere. Well, I'd follow this man anywhere anyway, but he doesn't need to know that. We left the salon hand in hand like the couple we were impersonating and called for the car Ranger drove in with last night. It was a Mercedes coupe thing. It said CL65 on the trunk, and I didn't really know what that meant other than it was probably expensive. And the biggest shock of all…it wasn't black. It was this really gorgeous silvery-grey color. Don't get me wrong, I thought his Porsche turbo was a really great car, but this was something else again. All black leather and dark wood trim inside, sleek lines, comfy seats, great smell. Yes, Jennifer Colón, you have a nice life.

It took us about 15 minutes to get to the Oliver Peoples in Miami and the sales lady spent about forty-five minutes with us, showing us all kinds of frames from their collection. I thought Ranger looked the best in these black NDG frames. You actually saw the frames before you saw Ranger, but that was the idea…hide in plain view. I could have drooled. He looked so drop-dead handsome, between the new cut and the glasses, Mr. GQ came alive. I convinced the sales lady to sell us the non-prescription testers, telling her that we needed them for a photo-shoot (hey since he looked the part, I went for it) later that day and didn't have the time to get a pair made up. She reluctantly agreed so I hoped the feds wouldn't come into this store asking about us, she would definitely remember…so much for keeping a low profile.

Once Ranger had a new look, we headed back to the hotel to get our stuff together. Ranger and Les swapped out bags and content. I didn't know they wore the same size, or maybe they didn't. Maybe Ella had only Ranger in mind when she put this all together yesterday. Maybe Les was going to have to walk around with his pants a little too big in the butt if we hadn't met up with Ranger right away. I think I digressed for a minute thinking about their perfect asses.

While we were out, the package from Rangeman arrived. Ranger opened it, took two guns, cuffs, a knife, and an iPhone for himself and gave Lester another two guns and handed over a small S&W revolver to me. With that out of the way, we could concentrate on something more serious- food. The three of us grabbed an al fresco lunch at the hotel. I ordered the pizza margharita, Ranger had a salad with grilled shrimp, and Lester had a falafel with tahini parsley sauce. Our bags were with us and the car was sitting outside being watched by some poor schmuck that Ranger was probably paying a fortune to. After we ate, it was time to say our goodbyes and Lester surprised me by pulling me in for a nice hug and a kiss on both cheeks, Mediterranean style.

"It was nice having you as my bride for a couple of days, Beautiful. I hope he can live up to the image I created," Les teased, looking over at Ranger. Batman wasn't too happy with that one and if they were in Trenton, he'd be calling Santos to the mats in the morning.

I made one more trip to the ladies room before we left and heard the sound of a high performance engine coming to life as I exited the front door. I got in, buckled up, and breathed in that rich aroma of brand new leather that confronted me every time I moved around in the seat. Ranger was already in his zone, so without saying another word, we were off and zipping down US1 for greener pastures.

Twenty minutes into the silence I couldn't take it anymore and decided to see if Ranger might be in one of his more talkative moods if I initiated a conversation.

"Ranger, before you went into the wind, you told me we needed to talk. Do we still need to talk?" I asked, trying that one on for size.

"Yes, Babe, but I was saving that for once we got down there. It's not a 70 mile per hour topic."

"Uh, just what kind of a topic is it then?"

"It's a mojito with lots of fresh mint one." Ranger paused then added to that thought, "At night, with my arms around you on a balcony overlooking the ocean."

Oh boy, I thought. Save that one for later. Nothing good can come from that. But I just looked at Ranger and said, "Uh, ok, Batman."

Another few minutes passed and I tried again.

"Ranger?"

"Yes, Babe."

"Are you scared that they'll find us?"

"I don't get scared, but I wouldn't be too happy if they found us. Let's hope they don't. What we have going for us is that they aren't looking for Victor and Jennifer Colón, so our chances of being caught are pretty slim. The feds are not very bright."

And a few minutes later, "Ranger?"

"Hmmm."

"Uh, can you tell me anything more about this Mojito topic?"

"In time, Babe, in time. Have patience."

"That's what you told me the day you left. I'm not big on patience you know. It's not one of my finer qualities."

"Why don't you put the seat back and get some rest? We have a couple more hours of driving to do."

I guess I wasn't going to get my answer after all.

I woke up when Ranger stopped the car and turned off the ignition. "Where are we? What's going on?" I asked, slightly annoyed that my nap had been interrupted.

"We need to get gas, and I want to show you something."

"Uh, ok."

Ranger stepped out to fill up the car and came back with two waters, a bag of peanuts, and a package of Hostess Twinkies. Does he know me, or what? I happily ripped open the package, took a bite, and moaned with pleasure at the gooey goodness while Ranger unscrewed the waters, handed me one, and continued started speaking. "Babe, we're in Islamorada. When I was sixteen I got my drivers' license, bought a third-hand car, and my friend Bill and I came down here to work that summer and the one after as tour guides. There's a really pretty inlet just down this road that I want you to see. Bill also moved down here a number of years ago and bought a restaurant on the water. I thought maybe we could have dinner here tonight and you could meet Bill."

Sharing again, what was with that? "Ranger, why are you telling me this? Do you think we need a safe house? Is that why you want me to meet Bill?"

"No Babe, we're good. I just want you to meet him and thought this might be a nice place to stop. We don't have reservations in Key West and we're not in any hurry. Might be easier to find a place for the night here.

"Through that inlet I was telling you about is a mangrove forest. Have you ever kayaked?"

"Um, yeah. Val and I went to Girl Scout camp almost every summer and we both learned. It was one of my favorite things to do at camp…it's like non-exercise, exercise." I noticed Ranger smile at my reference to exercise.

"Want to rent a couple of boats and go through the mangroves with me before dinner?"

"Is this a date, Batman? I noticed that Ella packed a couple of bathing suits, and sunscreen. Did she pack one for you too?"

"I didn't look, but I can always get one at the boat rental place. It's just down this road, right near the inlet. There used to be bathrooms there, but you can change in the car if you want. I'll call to Bill to let him know we're here while you get ready. Don't worry, I won't peek."

We left the gas station and made a right. I opted for changing in the car, as the thought of changing in a smelly old port-a-potty just didn't do it for me. I caught Ranger staring into the car while he was on the phone and since Ranger doesn't lie, he either had his fingers crossed or he couldn't see anything through the tinted windows. I wanted to believe he couldn't see anything, but when I came out to pull my shorts back up over the bathing suit he wolf-grinned, "Looking good, Babe."

Multi-tasking, Ranger booked us the Oceanfront Suite at the hotel Bill recommended while he rummaged through his bags for the bathing suit he was now holding up for me to see. He ducked into the car to change and it was my turn to look…damn tinted windows. We were free till 7, so we drove over to the inlet to see about renting those boats.

The mangrove forest was like a Disney-ride. The trees grew right out of the water and cascaded down in overlapping fingers to form a canopy over us. My paddling skills were rusty, the nose of my boat kept getting tangled in roots every time I turned, my paddle felt too long to actually use to push off them, but I didn't care…I so loved every second.

I looked over at Ranger…he was having no problems at all. Damn that perfect man.

We finally made it through the mangrove cover to the open waters of a bay and out of the corner of my eye I saw 2 dolphins jump from the water. I caught Ranger's eye and pointed my paddle in the direction of the splash and we took off to try to find them again. I stopped when I got to where I thought I saw movement, but there was nothing there. Ranger came up behind me and as I turned around to look at him right in front of my boat a dolphin popped his head out of the water and laughed. Oh my God, they were playing with us! We followed them around a couple more times and then they headed out to the open waters. Sadly, my skills wouldn't allow me to follow but it was time to head back anyway.

"Over there, Babe," Ranger pointed to the left and I could see the inlet where we rented our boats. Thankfully we didn't have to go back through the mangroves again. As much as I loved being in there, it was a lot of work and I was tired and hungry.

Back in the car, I turned to Ranger. "Thank you…thank you for taking me here. It was really magical. I had a great time with you today." I couldn't believe I actually said that last part since I never tell Ranger how I feel about him…I guess it just slipped out.

Of course, Ranger just gave another of his one-word answers, "Babe."

I was becoming an old pro at the GPS thing and we made it to the hotel in about 10 minutes. After another 5 to check in, we had a whole hour and a half before we had to leave for dinner. Our suite had two bedrooms and two baths this time, so as much as I loved waking up in Ranger's arms in the morning, I wouldn't have to be worried about temptation again. I claimed the smaller of the two but Ranger insisted I take the larger one… ok, so it didn't take too much convincing. After I was all showered, shaved and done with the Mr. Alexander special hair gel for curly hair thing, I checked the closet to see what kind of clothes Ella packed for me that might work for dinner.

"Ranger, what kind of a place is this?" I yelled in case he couldn't hear me over the sound of his hair dryer.

"Babe, I can't hear you." And forgetting I was only wearing a bra and panties, I padded into his bathroom to ask again. He looked at me in the mirror and I saw his eyes dilate black. Ranger dropped the hair dryer into the–thankfully empty–sink and then quickly grabbed it to shut it off. "Dios, are you trying to kill me Babe?"

Instead of getting all embarrassed, I put my hands on my hips and said, "This is no different from the bikini you saw me in an hour ago. What is it with you men? I just wanted to know what kind of a place Bill's restaurant is so I can dress for it."

With that, Ranger pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I wasn't sure what kind of kiss it was…but it was nice… different. Mmmm. His bare chest felt really good against my breasts in that barely-there bra I was wearing, and he smelled great too. Clearly amused, Ranger stepped back and looked at me. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Babe."

I blushed slightly and started to pull away.

"It's a nice place, with an upstairs outdoor veranda that looks out on the ocean. You might want to wear a dress, but bring a sweater. It can get chilly on the beach this time of year. We better get going."

'Bring a sweater.' Geez, now he sounded like my mother. Oh no, I so didn't want to go there.

As we walked hand in hand out to the car, we actually looked the part. I opted for a Lilly Pulitzer sun dress with…I couldn't believe Ella bought these, a pair of yellow Jimmy Choo strappy sandals. Ranger looked yummy in a pair of white, perfectly-tailored, Elie Tahari slacks with a blue button-down shirt that was open at the neck, his sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm. I saw he had a jacket with him, a place to hide the gun, I supposed.

Bill saw us park and came out to greet us. "Carlos, it's been too long," and they do did one of those long-time-no-see man hugs. When they finally broke apart, Ranger introduced me and Bill kissed me on the cheek. Not sure how I feel about men I didn't know kissing me, but since he was an old friend of Ranger's, I guessed it was ok. We were quickly ushered upstairs to a table in the back (yep Ranger got the wall), but still next to a wrought-iron railing that overlooked the beach below.

Ranger ordered a bottle of red wine that I couldn't pronounce and our waiter came back with it. He listed the specials of the evening as he opened the bottle and poured a tasting for Ranger. Ranger swirled the wine around in his glass and took a small sip. He nodded his approval and the waiter then poured mine, and left us alone to decide on dinner. Ranger ordered the grilled mahi mahi with a Florida grapefruit salad and I went for a grilled filet mignon with buttermilk mashed-potatoes, extra butter. It was a really fabulous dinner and as we lingered over coffee and dessert, Ranger took my hand over the table brought it to his lips and kissed my fingers. It was a very romantic gesture and it made me feel all warm and loved, but knowing this was Ranger who doesn't do relationships, I took it for face value.

"Babe, I have something to say to you and I want you to hear me out before you react. Is that ok?" Ranger asked. I told myself this must be really important, so I nodded and focused my attention solely on Ranger.

"Of course, Ranger."

"As you heard this morning, the government op I just completed was my last. I had the longest contract of any of my men and our debt's been paid. No one at Rangeman has to go on another mission unless we want to. I know I've acted like an ass to you in the past…"

I interrupted, "You don't have to apologize for anything Ranger…" he cut me off with a, "Please, Babe." I thought about interrupting again, but instead nodded ok.

"I've said things to you that were true then, but are not necessarily true now. I made a big deal about not doing relationships, I've poached while you and Morelli were together, and I've taken your unconditional trust in me for granted."

"Ranger, no…" I tried to butt in again, but Ranger put a finger to my lips to still me.

"I want to make amends. Is what you said this morning true? You and Joe will not be getting back together?"

I nodded. "I don't want to talk about it, but yes, we will not be getting back together."

"Would you go out with me if I asked you to?"

I inhaled sharply and blinked twice. Unsure if I'd heard him correctly, I decided to clarify. "You mean, like out out, like a date?"

Ranger nodded slightly. "Yes, Babe. Like a date. Like many dates."

"Ranger, I thought you didn't...?"

Ranger broke my train of thought this time. "I didn't, but things have changed. I'm no longer going to be sent away to places where there's a good chance I might not be coming back from. I'm not very good at expressing my feelings, but I care about you…a lot. I have for a long time. When I think about you with another man, I get angry. I'm selfish…I want you for myself. I can't always tell you everything…you have to understand that, but I'm going to try. That's one of the reasons Santos and I were speaking so freely in front of you this morning…"

I broke in again. "You've discussed this with Lester?" I was getting angry. If Ranger wanted a relationship _with_ me, I thought he should have at least discussed it with _me_ first.

"Hear me out Babe, it's not like that. Tank, Santos, and Brown have been giving me shit about my attitude towards you for a long time. Santos went so far as to tell me he was going to ask you out if I didn't come clean."

"He _has_ asked me out, a couple of times, but we're just friends. It's not romantic." I watched Ranger expression change and his jaw clench slightly. "Please, don't get angry with Lester, he's just a good friend. I just don't…well, I can't think of him romantically."

I could tell that that news struck some kind of chord in Ranger and I wasn't quite sure how to bring the friendly banter back, so I tried on one of Ranger's one word sentences, "Ranger?" Then _I_ reached across the table this time, to take _his_ hand. I felt him soften at my touch and he smiled, patting my hand.

"Babe. How about we pay the check and take a walk on the beach? It's a beautiful night and it's still early."

Ranger dropped a wad of cash on the table and we went downstairs to say goodnight to Bill. He saw us coming down the stairs and came over. "I hope you had a good time tonight." He then noticed my left hand for the first time and looked at Ranger quizzically. "And I guess congratulations are in order?" Ranger put his arms around me, kissed the top of my head, and started to laugh. "Well, congratulations might be in order, but it's not what you think. Are you free tomorrow? Can we stop by for a bit before we leave?"

"Yeah, yeah, come to my house. You know where I live right? Lindsey's at school, so we'll have the place to ourselves and I can give Enisha the morning off."

"Is around 10 ok?"

"See you then, man. Have a good night. It was really nice to meet you Steph." Hugs and kisses were shared all around.

"Who's Lindsey," I asked as I took my shoes off so we could walk on the beach, the now-cold sand, lumpy and wet between my toes.

"Bill's a single parent, Lindsey's his daughter…I guess she's about 8 now. Estelle took off when she was a baby. Enisha's the housekeeper."

We walked in silence for a bit, while I took all that in.

There was a gnarled tree with low extended branches growing out of the sand a few feet from us. Ranger walked over to it, did one of those lean/sit things on one of the sturdier limbs and pulled me into him. "I want to finish our conversation," he said, his arms around my midriff as he kissed the back of my head.

"Is this the Mojito topic?"

"Yes, Babe."

"Thought so."

"I want to do things right this time. Take it slow, let things build on their own. I really care about you and I feel like I've hurt you. I don't want to hurt you again."

"I care about you too, Ranger." The "L" word almost came out of my mouth, but he was being so upfront with me that I didn't want to scare him away.

He turned me around to face him and our eyes met, "You can call me Carlos, you know."

I looked at him questioningly. "When we first met you told me to call you by your street name, why Carlos now?"

"That was before the Mojito conversation," he said and kissed me.

"We never had those Mojitos, you know." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"There's always tomorrow, Babe."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Smut WARNING for this chapter.

Chapter five _The Tasting_

We didn't sleep together, but we shared a bed. We cuddled, kissed, explored and held each other for most of the night. I felt like I was getting to know Carlos the man…not just Ranger the super hero. We woke in my bed to the sun streaming in through the double French doors of the balcony, Ranger's arms around me…his hand teasing my breast, his penis hard against my ass.

"Mmmm, Carlos." I tried the name on for size.

"Morning, Babe," I felt him smile, though I couldn't see him…my back was to his front. "Want to go for a run on the beach with me before breakfast?"

"Trying to get me to exercise, Batman?"

"Only if you want to Babe," he said as he kissed that sensitive spot between my collarbone and my ear and I shuddered.

"Carlos, can we stay here another day? Maybe go for a paddle with the dolphins again? I know we have to see Bill this morning, but I feel safe here, and I don't want to leave yet."

"Are you trying to tell me you're sensing danger?"

"I'm feeling something. I can't put my finger on it, but something feels hinky. Not here though, and not with you."

"I trust that spidey-sense of yours," he said as he kissed my nose. "Before we go out, I want to call Tank." And with that he threw the covers off, reached for his iPhone, and dialed Trenton.

"Tank here," his voice was loud enough for me to hear and it wasn't on speaker.

"It's me, man. This is the new phone I picked up yesterday in my Rangeman care package, wasn't sure you had the number. Steph just told me that her spidey-sense is tingling, anything up?"

"The Feds confiscated Silvio's computer yesterday, but they won't get anything there…so, so far no leads directing them to you. Where are you anyway, man?"

"We're in Islamorada, just south of Key Largo. I think we're going to stay here for at least another day. No one will think to look here…it's not on the map. You remember my childhood friend Bill? He bought a house and opened a restaurant down here a number of years ago, so if we really have to lay low, we can probably stay with him. Call me here if you learn anything." And with that the phone Neanderthals disconnected.

"I couldn't help but hear that phone call. Is Tank always that loud?" I asked, now fully awake.

"Babe," the one-word answer.

"Hey, let's go for that run," I surprised him, as I rummaged through the dresser drawers in search of a sports bra and skort.

Ranger spoke as we ran. I couldn't do both at the same time…I could barely keep up. "I'm going to start wearing those glasses and I think we should call each other Victor and Jennifer or Jen when we're out in public. We aren't as far from Miami as I would like to be, but it's safe here. Bill would never knowingly let anything happen to me and we can talk freely around him. Ready to head back? We've gone about two miles." We turned around and Ranger continued, "People did see us in the restaurant last night and someone may have overheard you calling me Ranger. We have to be more careful."

I stopped running before I answered. "I haven't even gotten used to calling you Carlos, and now you're Victor." I shouldn't have stopped because now I was bent at the waist and gasping for air.

Ranger slowed and took my hand, "Babe."

After breakfast we reserved our suite for another night, let the garage know we wanted our car, packed a few things for the day, and headed over to Bill's. We did the hugs and kisses thing all over again and as I was hugging Bill I saw photos of the most beautiful little girl adorning a piano over his shoulder. "Is this Lindsey?" I asked. "She's gorgeous." Judging by her long, thick, dark-brown hair, and light mocha-latte complexion her mom must be a Latina. If Ranger and I had a child together, this was probably what she would look like I said to myself…wondering where that came from.

"Yes, this is Lindsey," Bill answered as he picked up one of the framed photographs and handed it to me. "She turned 8 this past December, right before Christmas. Carlos was in Miami when she was born, so he was one of the first people to meet her," he shared, beaming.

We spent the next hour telling Bill about Ranger's failed extraction, the Rangeman involvement, the government threat, and our Colón aliases. He offered us his guestroom, but we declined for now, knowing we'd like some time alone together to get to know one another again. Ranger took my hand in his and kissed it as he declined for the 2nd time and Bill finally got the picture.

Changing the subject, we talked about our dolphin experience yesterday and ask if Bill would like to join us as we tried to repeat the game.

"Carlos knows, I am never one to refuse a paddle. When we were growing up we spent more time in the water than we did on land. I have 3 boats in my garage, actually 4, but one's a white water playboat and a little too hard to paddle in the bay. Stephanie can use Lindsey's," he continued. "I'll just need to move the foot pegs back for her." We could tell he was as excited about going out as we were because he was digging through his closet looking for PFDs* that would fit us as he pointed us in the direction of his 2 bathrooms to change.

Once we were on the water and had paddled for a little while, I realized there would be no dolphins today, but I started to feel really comfortable with the boat and actually felt sad when Ranger pointed out that my shoulders were very red and we should head in before I ended up with a bad burn. Bill invited us to his restaurant for dinner, but Ranger wanted to take me to this Cuban place to sample some authentic cooking and dance afterwards.

"You dance?" I asked. Oh but of course he does, Ranger does everything.

Another one-word answer, "Babe."

We went back to our hotel to change for the evening and I noticed this red swirly tank dress with an uneven hem hanging in my closet. "I swear, I never saw that before," I mumbled. "Was this always here?" I asked as I showed him the dress.

He smiled and shook his head no. "I asked Ella to get you something to dance in and she had this sent to the hotel."

"How did it get here so fast? We just decided to do this," I asked, although I already knew the answer.

"I knew after Tank got me out of hell that I was meeting up with you and Santos in Miami, and I planned to talk to you once we were alone. I was hoping you'd give me a second chance and one of the things I wanted to share with you was my Cuban roots. I gave Ella the address of the hotel yesterday after we registered and she picked up the dress and had it FedExed here overnight. Someone from the hotel put it in your closet while we were out. Maybe I overstepped…"

"She knew too?" I cut him off and got pissed all over again that everyone knew what was going on but me.

"No, Babe. I just asked her to get you a dress. She had no idea about our conversation, but I think she'll be happy when she finds out. We should get ready."

My hair behaved today and I got it to cascade into nice soft curls. Somehow I found shoes in my closet and a lipstick in my makeup bag that matched the dress perfectly. Ella again? A couple of coats of mascara and I was ready by seven.

"You look beautiful, Babe," Ranger said, holding an arm out to me as we waited for the elevator to go down to the car.

I twirled to give him the effect and looked him over too. "Not bad yourself Batman," I grinned…half not believing this perfect specimen of a man wanted to be with me.

The valet had our car at the curb in front. When he saw us approach, he got out of his booth and handed Ranger the keys. The CL65 came to life when Ranger turned over the ignition and the hum of the engine began to stir up parts of my body I wish it wouldn't. "I'm getting my Mojito tonight," I said flirtily to Ranger as we headed out of the driveway and on to the open road. "With lots of mint and lime."

"Babe," he indulged me.

Five minutes later we arrived and found a parking place right in front. Ranger karma.

The meal was perfect. Nothing at all like I'd expected…all kinds of subtle yet tasteful flavors mixing together, a cornucopia of colors and textures.

"My taste buds are happy," I told Ranger as he took me by the hand to the dance floor.

"Let me teach you some other things that will make you happy," he said in response, bumping my ass with his. We seemed to fit together perfectly, our bodies melding into one as we danced to the seductive beat of the Latin rhythms.

We were both sweaty and giddy from dance after dance as Ranger lead me back to our table, lifted my hair and kissed my neck as we walked. He turned me around in his arms, and kissed my lips softly, our eyes met and held and something else took over. We finally pulled ourselves apart and as I fanned myself and tried to gain control, Carlos discreetly pulled out some cash and left it in the slim leather portfolio that had been left on our table containing the bill.

Driving back to the hotel, Carlos took my hand, put it on his thigh and played with my fingers. As we stopped at a traffic light Carlos lifted my fingers to his lips and brushed a soft kiss on each one as he turned to me. I could see him in shadow between the moonlight and the glow from the car's interior. "Stephanie, tonight I want to love you–to share myself with you. Let me love you, Babe. Let me show you what I've felt for you all along." I smiled at him and melted. No one has ever said anything like that to me before. This feeling started under my rib cage, my heart maybe, and traveled south. I didn't think I could get back to the hotel fast enough. I gently ran my fingers over his jawline as he glanced back up at the light. It had changed and from somewhere behind us we heard a quick beep of a horn. Guess Batman wasn't aware of his surroundings. We pulled into our hotel and I let my fingers travel up his leg as he parked. He stopped me before I reached the object of my desires and he took my hand to his mouth and kissed it again. "Slow down Babe. Let me worship you. Let's go upstairs; I promise to make you happy."

We left the car with the valet and I lead Carlos to the stairway to go back up to our room. The elevator was taking too long.

He opened the door with his cardkey and ushered us inside, pinning me to the wall as he closed the door behind us. He bent over and kissed me, softly at first, but that kiss rapidly changed into something more—something feral. I felt his tongue searching my mouth and my tongue reached out to greet his. He moved his hands over my body as he kissed me, lightly touching my arms, my back, my sides, my ass. I needed skin to skin contact and put my hands under his shirt, caressing his perfect pectoral muscles. We lost our clothes piece by piece as we made our way to the bedroom. Carlos pushed me onto the bed and looked down at me…his eyes reflecting something deep, primal, and loving.

"Let me love you Babe," he said again, as he took in my naked body in front of him. "You are so beautiful, mi ciela." He bent over me and placed soft kisses on my eyelids, one at a time, then on my nose. He ran his tongue along my outer ear and then blew his warm breath over the same area. He open-mouth kissed a spot on my neck below my ear, again blowing on it to send chills down my spine. Just as I recovered he kissed my earlobe, biting down on it hard, and kissed it again to stop the sting.

Satisfied, he ran his tongue along my jawline from my ear to the tip my chin and then down to my breasts, blowing lightly on a wet area every once in a while. I wanted him to take my breast in his mouth, but he didn't. He moved his tongue further down my body, stopping at my belly button to dip in and French kiss the area. Who knew a belly button could be so erotic? Oh my God I wanted him inside of me! I reached for his hard cock but he kept moving out of my reach. He took both of my arms in one hand and pinned them over my head, his voice husky as he whispered, "Not yet Babe," as he continued his assault on my body.  
>He bit one nipple and then the other, running his tongue over the sensitive area as he finally brought his head closer to the promised land.<p>

"I want to taste you," I heard him say and then felt my body respond as my floodgates opened and suddenly Carlos's tongue was on me, laving up my feminine wetness. He stuck his tongue into me and I came instantly, moaning loudly and shuddering deeply.

"Please, Carlos, I need you now," I barely got out when he stuck his tongue into me again, pulled out, then replaced his tongue with his fingers while sucking and nipping my clit with his teeth. I quaked deeply as I came again and he put his hand over my mound to still the sensation.

"Oh God, I need this man now," I said to myself, but the growl from Carlos told me otherwise. I guess I said it out loud. Carlos brought the tip of his dick to my soaking wet core and entered me quickly. He thrust in then stilled. "More," I barely got out before he started to pump into me again. I could feel him deep inside me, touching the wall of my cervix as he thrust. He was torturing me with his changes in speed until finally he thrust, once, twice, three times. I came loudly on the last thrust and he followed me over…both of us glistening in sweat and calling out each other's names.

We'd barely recovered and our hearts were still beating rapidly when I felt him harden inside of me again. "Mmmmm, can't keep a good man down," I teased, letting him know I could feel him. "Dios, Babe, what you do to me," he responded as he kissed me and rolled me on top of him for another go.

* Personal Floatation Devices


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I tried to thank you individually, but somehow I couldn't get through the FF "are you human" thing on my iphone the other day and gave up. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Chapter six _The Quinceañera_

We woke up at 6:53 am–at least that's what the digital display next to my head read–to the sound of Carlos' iPhone vibrating against the nightstand on his side of the bed. After unfolding from me he answered with the perfunctory "Yo" greeting and got up quickly when he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"Daria, what's up? Is everything ok?" "My sister," he mouthed to me as he walked into the sitting room to take the call. "Yeah, I'm up. How did you get this number?" I only heard one side of the conversation, so I could only imagine what was being said on the other end.

"You're calling me at 7 am to invite me to a party? Are you out of your mind?" I heard him say loudly. Uh, oh, this can't be good I said to myself, and tried to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned a couple of times but quickly realized that I was now fully awake, so I pulled up the covers and waited for Carlos to come back and fill me in.

"We should be back in Trenton early next week if everything pans out the way I'm hoping." Long pause. "You don't need to know that. Send me the invite, send it to Haywood. Ok, you too."

Carlos came back with a strange look on his face. "What's up," I asked, almost afraid to find out.

"My sister couldn't reach me, so she called Tank."

"Which sister is this?" I asked again, hoping for a little information.

"This is my oldest sister, Daria. She can be a pain in the ass…she likes getting her way." Yeah, so does someone else, I thought. Must run in the family.

"She's having a party for my niece's 15th birthday next month and wanted to know if I would 'grace the family with my presence', as she put it. This is a quinceañera, a fiesta de quince años." I looked at Carlos, slightly confused, and tried to figure out what he was talking about. I'd never heard of a quinceañera, before. Carlos must have read my mind so he continued to explain.

"It's a big thing in wealthier Latin communities. It's a coming of age party for teenage girls, kind of like a bar mitzvah and my sister will probably invite the world. I made the mistake of saying "we" instead of "I" when I told her when I'd be back in Trenton and she started asking a lot of questions. She's not going to leave me alone about this. I shouldn't have taken her call."

"How bad can this be? You show up for a few hours, or you just send a gift. Surely it's not that big of a deal, is it? Don't worry about it." I chanced a glance up a Carlos, but the look I found on his face told me that he was disturbed.

"Babe, I need to go for a run. Want to come?"

I shook my head no and pointed to the pillow I was holding. "I need a little more sleep. " Carlos didn't make any effort to move, so I asked him, "Are you ok?"

"That was just a disturbing call. I need to shake it…I'll be alright."

"Is she your only niece?" I ventured.

"No, I have 3 nieces and 5 nephews, and I'm sure there will be more." he said as he pulled on his running shorts. "Madeleine is the oldest."

"The 15-year-old?" I tried.

"Yeah, the15-year-old. Sure you don't want to come? You seem to be awake now?"

I had a feeling Ranger wanted to talk, so I got up to go out with him. Argh. "Give me a minute to splash some water on my face and brush my teeth and I'll come with you."

We had been running in silence for a few minutes when Ranger began. "If I go to this party, will you come with me as my date?"

"What's the matter Batman? Afraid to face your family alone?" I tried joking to lighten his mood.

"No, but I'd much rather face them with you. I want to introduce you to them anyway, and it might be easier to meet everyone at once."

"I can't believe a little 15-year-old girl has the great big Rangeman frightened." I pushed again.

"It's not the 15-year-old, it's her mother," he laughed.

As anyone who's ever gone for a run with me knows, I can't run and talk at the same time, so we had to have been running at a snail's pace for me to carry on that conversation.

"Want to up the pace Batman?" I said, more to see if he wanted to continue talking or if he'd rather run and get this conversation that seemed to be bothering him out of his system. If this were me, I'd opt for donuts, but this is Ranger and thankfully he hadn't 'called me to the mats' yet. I guess I should count my blessings.

"Is that ok with you? I need to run full out for a bit."

"Go for it, I'll just fall back if I can't keep up." And watch that perfect ass in front of me.

After Carlos took off at a marathon clip, I thought about the last couple of days and realized I never gave him any answers. I was deep in thought when I got this strange feeling that I was being watched and looked around me to see if there was a threat nearby. Carlos and I were the only runners on the beach that I could see. There were a couple of senior citizens out power walking but that was it. I tried to shake the feeling, but it just got stronger and stronger the further away from the hotel we ran. There was no way I could catch up to Carlos, so I just kept up my pace and figured he'd eventually turn around and come back. I could still see him in front of me and he didn't seem to be phased but I was, even more so now, so I stopped, took my phone out of my shorts, and called Tank.

"Yo."

"Yo, yourself."

"What's up?"

"This may be nothing, but Ranger and I are out running on the beach and I can't shake this feeling that someone is watching me. I can't catch up to Ranger to warn him and he doesn't have his phone on him, but the feeling is so strong that I felt I had to call you in case it's the feds and they are going to try to apprehend him."

"Where are you, Bomber?"

"Same place. Islamorada- we're running north on the beach in front of our hotel. Is Lester still in Miami?"

"Ranger has good instincts. If he feels you aren't right behind him, he'll turn around and come back to you. Don't put yourself in any danger. I'll get in touch with Santos."

"Tank, can you stay on the phone with me until he comes back? If someone jumps him, at least you'll know right away. But if it's someone that's after me maybe they won't try anything if they see I'm on the phone and can call for help."

"This isn't like you, Steph. Yes I'll stay on. Have you been threatened?"

"No, no. Nothing like that, but I had this feeling yesterday too, only it wasn't as strong as right now. I didn't want to head down to Key West because something told me it was safer here, but I'm not feeling quite so sure right now. Um, Ranger just turned around but it will take him a few minutes to reach me." I took a glance around me to see if I could spot anyone and realized someone was headed Ranger's way.

"Shit Tank, someone just came out from one of the other hotels on the beach and started to run in his direction. I'm going to try to catch up to Ranger. If I don't say anything, just stay with me, ok?"

"I'm here, Bomber."

I took off as fast as I could just as I saw the figure in front of me veer into Ranger's path. Quick as lightening, I watched Ranger grab the guy around his neck, throw him to the ground, and subdue him as he finally pinned his hands behind his back. I knew Ranger didn't have any cuffs on him, but maybe he had a gun or a knife. I kept running and tried to talk to Tank at the same time.

"He went for Ranger. I don't know what happened, but it looks like Ranger has him down. I'm almost there."

"Bomber, stay away."

By the time I got to Ranger, a couple of people had gathered around. A security guard from one of the hotels was out with his gun drawn and they were putting cuffs on the guy who seemed to just be coming to. Ranger saw me and yelled, "Jennifer call 911." I picked up immediately that we needed to use our cover aliases and I called back to him, "Vic are you ok?" Carlos nodded that he was ok as I quickly told Tank what happened and hung up. Next, I called the police.

When the police finally arrived, Ranger and the security guard had the attacker cuffed and ready to be taken into custody. The guard, Ranger, and myself were asked to come down to the police station to give our statements. We were still in our running clothes with no ID on us, so we asked if we could go back to our hotel to shower, change, and grab some breakfast before stopping by in an hour or so, and they agreed. The police offered to drive us back, but I got the feeling that it was more to interrogate us than as a courtesy. Ranger pointed that we were within walking distance and we'd be ok as he promised that we'd see them shortly.

When we were out of hearing distance I asked Ranger, "Did you know that guy? Any idea what that was about?"

"Yeah Babe, I know him. His name is Manuel Garcia and he used to work for Rangeman Miami. We had to let him go because he liked to use very excessive force during his takedowns and almost killed a couple of the skips. He probably blames me for losing his job. I came down a couple of months ago to personally do the firing. I guess he saw us here and decided to jump me to get even. I think we should stick to our Colón story. If they check us out it will be collaborated, and with my glasses and haircut we may even have Manuel second-guessing that I'm not Victor Colón."

I told him about the strong feeling I had of being watched and my call to Tank as we used our cardkey to enter the hotel through the side door. Ranger said he'd call Tank and fill him in while I was in the shower.

I was done in record time, including a couple of coats of mascara for courage, and came out into the sitting room to find Ranger still on the phone with Tank.

"Babe," he called me over. "Tank thinks that my attack might not be what we first assumed. Turns out Garcia was arrested in Trenton about a month ago for carrying concealed after he went through a red light right near our Rangeman offices. The guys think he may have been scoping out our place and maybe me in particular, although we think it was just luck that he found me here. There was no way he could have tailed me through my government op and followed me to Miami. Tank also thinks he may not be working alone. I ordered us room service, let me hang up with Tank and we'll talk."

Ranger finished up with his conversation with Tank, the last part of which sounded like code to me, when our door buzzed bringing breakfast. I was happy to see that Ranger ordered me pancakes with maple syrup and not some kind of healthy thing. He, on the other hand, got yogurt with seeds and bark again. Jeez, that man might be hot, but he doesn't know how to eat.

"Ok, Babe," he said when I had my mouth full of blueberry pancake goodness, the syrup dripping down my chin. "I think we should go to the police station, then come back here and check out. Tank still hasn't gotten through to McHugh so I can't go back to Trenton, but we can head either south to Key West or north to Disneyworld. We need to go someplace where we can blend in."

"Are you serious about Disneyworld, Batman?" I asked, not really seeing this man going on rides or strolling along with a crowd and tons of kids.

"Anything for you, Babe."

"Ok, then Disneyworld it is. Oh and Carlos my answers are 'yes' and 'yes'."

The 200-watt smile stretched from one side of his face to the other. "And we are talking about what, Babe?"

"You asked me the other night if I would except your apology and go out with you. I never actually answered and today you invited me to your nieces 15th birthday party. Yes and yes."

Ranger smiled as he pulled me close to him. "Only you, Babe."

We arrived at the police station outfitted in our Colón best…Ranger in his Oliver Peoples glasses and me in my Tahari linen knee-length short ensemble. We held hands as we entered the sacred police space and pretended that none of this was familiar. Ranger kissed me to assure me everything would be ok, but also to keep up our front that we were just a vacationing couple. Before we met with the officers that took Garcia in, the detective in charge told us that in doing a sweep of the area, they discovered another armed man and brought him in for questioning.

"Where did you find this guy?" I asked, wondering if he might have been the cause of my spidey-sense meltdown.

"About half-way between your hotel and where your husband was accosted. Why do you ask?"

There was no way in hell I was going to tell him about my sensing danger, so I just shrugged. "Just wondering."

Taking the pressure off of me in case he questioned further, the desk sergeant came over and informed us we could meet with the arresting officers now. We breezed through the paperwork, our story collaborated by the hotel security guard and a few senior citizens that were on the beach at the time, and we were back in the car heading towards the hotel when Ranger's iPhone vibrated against the console separating our two seats. "Babe, can you check the readout? Not too many people have this number," he said with his eyes still on the road.

I picked up the phone and saw that the call was from Lester, so I answered. "Hi Les, what's up?"

"Hey Beautiful. You and the boss man must be in pretty tight if he's letting you answer his phone," Lester teased.

"Well as a matter of fact, Ranger and I are going to Disneyworld," I batted my eyes. "We're on our way back to the hotel now to checkout and leave."

"I just spoke with Tank so I know about the beach incident. What did you think about seeing Ranger in action?"

"It was pretty amazing. I saw the guy pivot towards Ranger and the next thing I knew Ranger had him on the ground and out like a light."

"Thought you'd be impressed. But the reason I'm calling is to tell you I saw the driver that picked us up at the airport snooping around the hotel here last night. I didn't have any reason to apprehend him, and I'm pretty sure he didn't see me, but it seems like something may be up. Now after hearing about Garcia, I would be very cautious if I were you. I planned on checking out today and was going to catch a flight back to Trenton, but maybe it'd be a good idea for me to meet up with you in Orlando. You may need some backup. Talk it over with Ranger and let me know what you decide."

I relayed Lester's story to Ranger and we both thought a backup might not be a bad idea. Then out of the blue it dawned on me that Lester promised to take care of my skips. "Uh, Carlos, maybe we should get someone else as backup. Lester promised to take care of my outstanding FTA's for Vinnie."

"Tank isn't going to let Lester do this on his own anyway- you know we always travel in pairs. He may suggest another team. Can you call him? He's programmed in…just hit that little "contacts" icon on the bottom there, then touch the "T" off to the right and he'll pop up. "

"Got it." I did as Ranger instructed and the next thing I knew Tank was answering on the other line. "Tank? Steph. We just spoke with Lester and he thinks it might be a good idea for us to have backup for the Orlando trip. He volunteered, as he's not that far away, but Ranger wanted me to check with you." I paused as I tried to figure out how to tell Tank my real worry without sounding selfish "And, well…ummm…Les promised to help me with my skips while I'm down here."

I heard Tank laugh. "Is that what this is all about? You want Lester to capture your FTA's for you? You do realize that any of the guys would be happy to help you out…all you have to do is ask. Bobby was already at your apartment checking on Rex. He was worried that you might not have left enough food and water for more than a day. Oh and just so you know, he brought him back here and he's now entertaining the command room."

"Really, Tank? That's so sweet. " I turned to Ranger as he was driving and smiled. "Ranger, Bobby brought Rex to Rangeman." I saw Ranger grimace through the corner of my eye and I nudged him. "Hey, what's that face for? You don't like Rex?" I gave Ranger a poke in the rib as he smirked and turned my attention back to Tank. "Anyway Tank, thank Bobby for me and whatever you decide about my skips is fine. I just don't want Vinnie getting all bent out of shape that I'm working for Rangeman and ignoring my other responsibilities."

"I'll send Manny down to team with Santos. Do you have a preference as to who takes care of your skips? How about Ram and Cal? They have a pretty light schedule for the next couple of days. We can pick up duplicate paperwork from Connie."

I agreed that the plan worked for me and he disconnected.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I tried to thank you individually, but somehow I couldn't get through the FF "are you human" thing on my iphone the other day and gave up. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive.

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Chapter six _The Quinceañera_

We woke up at 6:53 am–at least that's what the digital display next to my head read–to the sound of Carlos' iPhone vibrating against the nightstand on his side of the bed. After unfolding from me he answered with the perfunctory "Yo" greeting and got up quickly when he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

"Daria, what's up? Is everything ok?" "My sister," he mouthed to me as he walked into the sitting room to take the call. "Yeah, I'm up. How did you get this number?" I only heard one side of the conversation, so I could only imagine what was being said on the other end.

"You're calling me at 7 am to invite me to a party? Are you out of your mind?" I heard him say loudly. Uh, oh, this can't be good I said to myself, and tried to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned a couple of times but quickly realized that I was now fully awake, so I pulled up the covers and waited for Carlos to come back and fill me in.

"We should be back in Trenton early next week if everything pans out the way I'm hoping." Long pause. "You don't need to know that. Send me the invite, send it to Haywood. Ok, you too."

Carlos came back with a strange look on his face. "What's up," I asked, almost afraid to find out.

"My sister couldn't reach me, so she called Tank."

"Which sister is this?" I asked again, hoping for a little information.

"This is my oldest sister, Daria. She can be a pain in the ass…she likes getting her way." Yeah, so does someone else, I thought. Must run in the family.

"She's having a party for my niece's 15th birthday next month and wanted to know if I would 'grace the family with my presence', as she put it. This is a quinceañera, a fiesta de quince años." I looked at Carlos, slightly confused, and tried to figure out what he was talking about. I'd never heard of a quinceañera, before. Carlos must have read my mind so he continued to explain.

"It's a big thing in wealthier Latin communities. It's a coming of age party for teenage girls, kind of like a bar mitzvah and my sister will probably invite the world. I made the mistake of saying "we" instead of "I" when I told her when I'd be back in Trenton and she started asking a lot of questions. She's not going to leave me alone about this. I shouldn't have taken her call."

"How bad can this be? You show up for a few hours, or you just send a gift. Surely it's not that big of a deal, is it? Don't worry about it." I chanced a glance up a Carlos, but the look I found on his face told me that he was disturbed.

"Babe, I need to go for a run. Want to come?"

I shook my head no and pointed to the pillow I was holding. "I need a little more sleep. " Carlos didn't make any effort to move, so I asked him, "Are you ok?"

"That was just a disturbing call. I need to shake it…I'll be alright."

"Is she your only niece?" I ventured.

"No, I have 3 nieces and 5 nephews, and I'm sure there will be more." he said as he pulled on his running shorts. "Madeleine is the oldest."

"The 15-year-old?" I tried.

"Yeah, the15-year-old. Sure you don't want to come? You seem to be awake now?"

I had a feeling Ranger wanted to talk, so I got up to go out with him. Argh. "Give me a minute to splash some water on my face and brush my teeth and I'll come with you."

We had been running in silence for a few minutes when Ranger began. "If I go to this party, will you come with me as my date?"

"What's the matter Batman? Afraid to face your family alone?" I tried joking to lighten his mood.

"No, but I'd much rather face them with you. I want to introduce you to them anyway, and it might be easier to meet everyone at once."

"I can't believe a little 15-year-old girl has the great big Rangeman frightened." I pushed again.

"It's not the 15-year-old, it's her mother," he laughed.

As anyone who's ever gone for a run with me knows, I can't run and talk at the same time, so we had to have been running at a snail's pace for me to carry on that conversation.

"Want to up the pace Batman?" I said, more to see if he wanted to continue talking or if he'd rather run and get this conversation that seemed to be bothering him out of his system. If this were me, I'd opt for donuts, but this is Ranger and thankfully he hadn't 'called me to the mats' yet. I guess I should count my blessings.

"Is that ok with you? I need to run full out for a bit."

"Go for it, I'll just fall back if I can't keep up." And watch that perfect ass in front of me.

After Carlos took off at a marathon clip, I thought about the last couple of days and realized I never gave him any answers. I was deep in thought when I got this strange feeling that I was being watched and looked around me to see if there was a threat nearby. Carlos and I were the only runners on the beach that I could see. There were a couple of senior citizens out power walking but that was it. I tried to shake the feeling, but it just got stronger and stronger the further away from the hotel we ran. There was no way I could catch up to Carlos, so I just kept up my pace and figured he'd eventually turn around and come back. I could still see him in front of me and he didn't seem to be phased but I was, even more so now, so I stopped, took my phone out of my shorts, and called Tank.

"Yo."

"Yo, yourself."

"What's up?"

"This may be nothing, but Ranger and I are out running on the beach and I can't shake this feeling that someone is watching me. I can't catch up to Ranger to warn him and he doesn't have his phone on him, but the feeling is so strong that I felt I had to call you in case it's the feds and they are going to try to apprehend him."

"Where are you, Bomber?"

"Same place. Islamorada- we're running north on the beach in front of our hotel. Is Lester still in Miami?"

"Ranger has good instincts. If he feels you aren't right behind him, he'll turn around and come back to you. Don't put yourself in any danger. I'll get in touch with Santos."

"Tank, can you stay on the phone with me until he comes back? If someone jumps him, at least you'll know right away. But if it's someone that's after me maybe they won't try anything if they see I'm on the phone and can call for help."

"This isn't like you, Steph. Yes I'll stay on. Have you been threatened?"

"No, no. Nothing like that, but I had this feeling yesterday too, only it wasn't as strong as right now. I didn't want to head down to Key West because something told me it was safer here, but I'm not feeling quite so sure right now. Um, Ranger just turned around but it will take him a few minutes to reach me." I took a glance around me to see if I could spot anyone and realized someone was headed Ranger's way.

"Shit Tank, someone just came out from one of the other hotels on the beach and started to run in his direction. I'm going to try to catch up to Ranger. If I don't say anything, just stay with me, ok?"

"I'm here, Bomber."

I took off as fast as I could just as I saw the figure in front of me veer into Ranger's path. Quick as lightening, I watched Ranger grab the guy around his neck, throw him to the ground, and subdue him as he finally pinned his hands behind his back. I knew Ranger didn't have any cuffs on him, but maybe he had a gun or a knife. I kept running and tried to talk to Tank at the same time.

"He went for Ranger. I don't know what happened, but it looks like Ranger has him down. I'm almost there."

"Bomber, stay away."

By the time I got to Ranger, a couple of people had gathered around. A security guard from one of the hotels was out with his gun drawn and they were putting cuffs on the guy who seemed to just be coming to. Ranger saw me and yelled, "Jennifer call 911." I picked up immediately that we needed to use our cover aliases and I called back to him, "Vic are you ok?" Carlos nodded that he was ok as I quickly told Tank what happened and hung up. Next, I called the police.

When the police finally arrived, Ranger and the security guard had the attacker cuffed and ready to be taken into custody. The guard, Ranger, and myself were asked to come down to the police station to give our statements. We were still in our running clothes with no ID on us, so we asked if we could go back to our hotel to shower, change, and grab some breakfast before stopping by in an hour or so, and they agreed. The police offered to drive us back, but I got the feeling that it was more to interrogate us than as a courtesy. Ranger pointed that we were within walking distance and we'd be ok as he promised that we'd see them shortly.

When we were out of hearing distance I asked Ranger, "Did you know that guy? Any idea what that was about?"

"Yeah Babe, I know him. His name is Manuel Garcia and he used to work for Rangeman Miami. We had to let him go because he liked to use very excessive force during his takedowns and almost killed a couple of the skips. He probably blames me for losing his job. I came down a couple of months ago to personally do the firing. I guess he saw us here and decided to jump me to get even. I think we should stick to our Colón story. If they check us out it will be collaborated, and with my glasses and haircut we may even have Manuel second-guessing that I'm not Victor Colón."

I told him about the strong feeling I had of being watched and my call to Tank as we used our cardkey to enter the hotel through the side door. Ranger said he'd call Tank and fill him in while I was in the shower.

I was done in record time, including a couple of coats of mascara for courage, and came out into the sitting room to find Ranger still on the phone with Tank.

"Babe," he called me over. "Tank thinks that my attack might not be what we first assumed. Turns out Garcia was arrested in Trenton about a month ago for carrying concealed after he went through a red light right near our Rangeman offices. The guys think he may have been scoping out our place and maybe me in particular, although we think it was just luck that he found me here. There was no way he could have tailed me through my government op and followed me to Miami. Tank also thinks he may not be working alone. I ordered us room service, let me hang up with Tank and we'll talk."

Ranger finished up with his conversation with Tank, the last part of which sounded like code to me, when our door buzzed bringing breakfast. I was happy to see that Ranger ordered me pancakes with maple syrup and not some kind of healthy thing. He, on the other hand, got yogurt with seeds and bark again. Jeez, that man might be hot, but he doesn't know how to eat.

"Ok, Babe," he said when I had my mouth full of blueberry pancake goodness, the syrup dripping down my chin. "I think we should go to the police station, then come back here and check out. Tank still hasn't gotten through to McHugh so I can't go back to Trenton, but we can head either south to Key West or north to Disneyworld. We need to go someplace where we can blend in."

"Are you serious about Disneyworld, Batman?" I asked, not really seeing this man going on rides or strolling along with a crowd and tons of kids.

"Anything for you, Babe."

"Ok, then Disneyworld it is. Oh and Carlos my answers are 'yes' and 'yes'."

The 200-watt smile stretched from one side of his face to the other. "And we are talking about what, Babe?"

"You asked me the other night if I would except your apology and go out with you. I never actually answered and today you invited me to your nieces 15th birthday party. Yes and yes."

Ranger smiled as he pulled me close to him. "Only you, Babe."

We arrived at the police station outfitted in our Colón best…Ranger in his Oliver Peoples glasses and me in my Tahari linen knee-length short ensemble. We held hands as we entered the sacred police space and pretended that none of this was familiar. Ranger kissed me to assure me everything would be ok, but also to keep up our front that we were just a vacationing couple. Before we met with the officers that took Garcia in, the detective in charge told us that in doing a sweep of the area, they discovered another armed man and brought him in for questioning.

"Where did you find this guy?" I asked, wondering if he might have been the cause of my spidey-sense meltdown.

"About half-way between your hotel and where your husband was accosted. Why do you ask?"

There was no way in hell I was going to tell him about my sensing danger, so I just shrugged. "Just wondering."

Taking the pressure off of me in case he questioned further, the desk sergeant came over and informed us we could meet with the arresting officers now. We breezed through the paperwork, our story collaborated by the hotel security guard and a few senior citizens that were on the beach at the time, and we were back in the car heading towards the hotel when Ranger's iPhone vibrated against the console separating our two seats. "Babe, can you check the readout? Not too many people have this number," he said with his eyes still on the road.

I picked up the phone and saw that the call was from Lester, so I answered. "Hi Les, what's up?"

"Hey Beautiful. You and the boss man must be in pretty tight if he's letting you answer his phone," Lester teased.

"Well as a matter of fact, Ranger and I are going to Disneyworld," I batted my eyes. "We're on our way back to the hotel now to checkout and leave."

"I just spoke with Tank so I know about the beach incident. What did you think about seeing Ranger in action?"

"It was pretty amazing. I saw the guy pivot towards Ranger and the next thing I knew Ranger had him on the ground and out like a light."

"Thought you'd be impressed. But the reason I'm calling is to tell you I saw the driver that picked us up at the airport snooping around the hotel here last night. I didn't have any reason to apprehend him, and I'm pretty sure he didn't see me, but it seems like something may be up. Now after hearing about Garcia, I would be very cautious if I were you. I planned on checking out today and was going to catch a flight back to Trenton, but maybe it'd be a good idea for me to meet up with you in Orlando. You may need some backup. Talk it over with Ranger and let me know what you decide."

I relayed Lester's story to Ranger and we both thought a backup might not be a bad idea. Then out of the blue it dawned on me that Lester promised to take care of my skips. "Uh, Carlos, maybe we should get someone else as backup. Lester promised to take care of my outstanding FTA's for Vinnie."

"Tank isn't going to let Lester do this on his own anyway- you know we always travel in pairs. He may suggest another team. Can you call him? He's programmed in…just hit that little "contacts" icon on the bottom there, then touch the "T" off to the right and he'll pop up. "

"Got it." I did as Ranger instructed and the next thing I knew Tank was answering on the other line. "Tank? Steph. We just spoke with Lester and he thinks it might be a good idea for us to have backup for the Orlando trip. He volunteered, as he's not that far away, but Ranger wanted me to check with you." I paused as I tried to figure out how to tell Tank my real worry without sounding selfish "And, well…ummm…Les promised to help me with my skips while I'm down here."

I heard Tank laugh. "Is that what this is all about? You want Lester to capture your FTA's for you? You do realize that any of the guys would be happy to help you out…all you have to do is ask. Bobby was already at your apartment checking on Rex. He was worried that you might not have left enough food and water for more than a day. Oh and just so you know, he brought him back here and he's now entertaining the command room."

"Really, Tank? That's so sweet. " I turned to Ranger as he was driving and smiled. "Ranger, Bobby brought Rex to Rangeman." I saw Ranger grimace through the corner of my eye and I nudged him. "Hey, what's that face for? You don't like Rex?" I gave Ranger a poke in the rib as he smirked and turned my attention back to Tank. "Anyway Tank, thank Bobby for me and whatever you decide about my skips is fine. I just don't want Vinnie getting all bent out of shape that I'm working for Rangeman and ignoring my other responsibilities."

"I'll send Manny down to team with Santos. Do you have a preference as to who takes care of your skips? How about Ram and Cal? They have a pretty light schedule for the next couple of days. We can pick up duplicate paperwork from Connie."

I agreed that the plan worked for me and he disconnected.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I tried to thank you individually, but somehow I couldn't get through the FF "are you human" thing on my iphone the other day and gave up. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best J

This takes place after EE. Some spoilers. This is my first FF, so please be kind. Don't own the characters, JE does, just taking them for a test drive

Extra special thanks to my Beta Reader Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who has great insight, kept me honest and also suggested the title for this story.

Please note: this is unedited, all mistakes are mine. My Beta has been ill and I'll update these files later when she's had a chance to read. Didn't want you to think I forgot about you.

Chapter 7 _The news_

I felt better having all that personal stuff squared away…but after we parked our car to go in and pack…again, and check out…again, I started to feel like a felon on the run. And something still felt off about a lot of things…starting with that second man on the beach. Could he be the guy Les saw at the Ritz? The same guy that posed as our driver when we first arrived in Miami?

I was having this mental conversation with myself as I stuffed clothes into my suitcase when Ranger came up behind me, "Babe if Ella saw what you were doing with all those pretty things she bought you, she'd have a heart attack. Has anyone ever showed you how to pack a suitcase?"

I was ready to go rhino on him, when it occurred to me…maybe he had a point. Maybe there was a correct way to pack a suitcase. I never really had nice things to pack before, so it never mattered to me how they fit in…as long as they fit in.

"Uh, is this one of those things that after you tell me, you'll have to kill me?"

"Babe."

Ranger unpacked everything that I had already put into the suitcase and began by taking the liner out of the suitcase that separates the wheel gizmo from the inside of the bag itself.

"If you put your shoes in here, they are out of the way and the heels won't snag anything. Pack them heel to toe to take up the least amount of space." He does this with all the shoes I have with me, first putting them into the ziplock bags Ella had them in when she first packed. Then he put the liner back over the wheel mechanism. "Next you pack things that wrinkle easy, like these shirts, folding the sleeves in, so the fronts are taught. Put pants and dresses over that, folding them in half…then jeans go on top. Now put the small items like socks on the sides. I'd put all your personal stuff, your makeup and toothbrush and things like that, in this separate small bag which fits on top of your suitcase and we'll be good to go."

Just like that, five minutes later and he's packed me up like a pro. Is there nothing this man can't do?

"Thank you, Carlos," I said softly, feeling bad that I was ready to go ape shit on him.

"I'll get my payback tonight, Babe," he definitely wolf-grinned at me this time.

"Uh, Ranger, I was just thinking that maybe the man Les saw in the hotel last night, you know, our fake driver? Well, maybe he and the second guy from the beach this morning, were the same person? What if they've been following us for a while, what if they followed Les and I down here from Trenton? What if they have an agenda..."

Ranger cut me off, "that's a lot of what ifs, Babe. You know I totally trust your intuition, and you make good points, but I think we should approach this a little more scientifically. I wish the police had a reason to hold that man this morning. He had a permit, and he wasn't carrying concealed…that's how they picked him up. He had a shoulder holster on that was clearly visible. They had nothing to hold him on, other than he was there. If we could have seen him, you'd have been able to tell me if he was the driver."

"Do you think they took a mug shot, maybe fingerprinted him?"

"I think they probably ran his ID, and when he cleared, they let him go."

"Damn."

I was considering other possibilities when Ranger's iPhone buzzed again. It was Manny, letting Ranger know that he was booked on a flight into Orlando and would get in a few hours before we would. "Santos and I want to set up a cover and get started. Les has seen the guy who posed as your driver twice, so he has a pretty good idea of what he looks like and is remotely looking through Rangeman Miami files right now to see if he might also be an ex-employee. We have Garcia's picture and have done a complete background check. Oh, and by the way, Tank just heard that Garcia is out…they didn't have enough to hold him. He's claiming it was a case of mistaken identity, so just watch your backs. I guess we'll be in touch tonight."

"Carlos, while you were on the phone with Manny, I checked Google maps, it's about a five and a half hour drive to Orlando. If we leave now, and we just stop for lunch and gas, we should get there around six o'clock. I have a list of hotels in the area too, maybe we should book something before we leave?" and I showed him my screen with hundreds of hotel listings.

Ranger took my laptop from me and changed the search criteria to 'five star hotels in Orlando area" and the list narrowed to about ten. "The Colón's would only stay at the finest, Babe." Ranger scanned the list, went right to the most expensive, The Disney Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, picked up his phone and reserved us a suite.

"Pays to hang with Batman," I thought.

We were just making our way to the elevator to go down to the front desk to check out when Ranger's phone starts buzzing again. Who knew so much of the Rangeman work was done by phone?

It was Tank, again with the back and forth "Yo's". "Just heard from McHugh." At that, Ranger put the phone on speaker, so I could hear too. He ushered me back towards our room and opened the door so we could hear Tank out in private. "They really are going to try to court martial us. It's a special courts-martial though…you know, the equivalent of a misdemeanor… a year's confinement at most. A year behind bars would not be good for Rangeman…the publicity alone would kill us as a business. McHugh is still trying to make this go away but the directive is coming from somewhere above him—I never thought there was anyone above him."

"Shit."

"I just put a call into our lawyer. Patterson wants you to stay undercover and he wants me to take a vacation. With you, me and Santos out of the picture, Brown's in charge in Trenton. I really hope this blows over quickly. Just so you know, I asked Lula to come with me for a week to Turks and Caicos as Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Abernathy. That should be enough time for Patterson and McHugh to make this fiasco evaporate." "And that should also be enough time for Lula to stir up a hornet's nest," I thought I heard him mumble and disconnect.

Ranger sat down and his mood shifted. Well, he wasn't exactly all hearts and flowers after his conversation with his sister or the assault on the beach, but he was downright serious now. Like the predator assessing its prey. Only once before had I seen this side of Ranger and that was when he hired me to work with him to try to find out who was breaking in to all those houses under Rangeman surveillance. I wasn't sure what to do to let him know I was there for him, but taking his hand and using his given name worked before, so I gave it a try again.

"Carlos," I said taking his hand in mine. I thought for a second he was going to pull away, but he didn't, he just turned my hand over and looked at the rings. I tried again, "Carlos, what do you need me to do? I want to help. I'm not letting you go through this by yourself. But please don't push me away."

"You could be arrested for aiding and abetting a criminal, I can't take that chance. I want you to get on a plane and go back to Trenton. Keeping you safe is more important than trying to figure out who is after me, or who is after you."

"Carlos, you and I both know that I'm safer here with you than I would be back in Trenton and I don't care what they do to me. We are not going to split up now, we are in this together." Especially since it's taken me three years to get you into my life…no way, José.

I felt him soften at my words and I knew I'd won him over, so I figured I'd just go for it…all or nothing. "Carlos, I love you."

Carlos clearly wasn't expecting the words that came out of my mouth, but he pulled me close, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. "I love you too, Babe. Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N- My Beta is still not feeling well, I wanted to post-will fix when she's had a chance to comment-excuse my bad writing :)

JE owns the characters-just taking for a test drive.

Chapter 8 _The truth—well almost_

A part of me wanted to just stay in our room and make love to Carlos, but I knew we had a small window of opportunity to head out before Garcia and company had a chance to follow our trail. So now for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, Carlos and I are headed down to the lobby to check out. I was clearly sad to be leaving this magical place that brought us together.

"We should call Bill," I mentioned as he gave the desk clerk Victor Colón's Black American Express Card with the no-credit-limit. "I know we can't stop to say goodbye, but maybe we could invite him to visit Trenton or something. He's a good guy and you really didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time with him."

"Mmmm, Babe," Carlos said, clearly still distracted.

Yep, he was in one of his zones. "Want me to drive?" I asked…thinking maybe it would help if didn't have to concentrate on the road.

"I'm good."

"I bet you didn't hear anything I said. Do you even know where we're going? You probably haven't paid attention to anything since you hung up with Tank. Hey," and I took his hand, "everything's going to be ok…I can feel it."

Carlos was back to being Ranger, and clearly a Ranger I had never met before. This wasn't Sexy Ranger, or GQ Ranger…this was Sullen Ranger. If I met this man in a dark alley, I would be afraid, very afraid. And clearly, I didn't have the skills to bring him out of this churlish mood. Maybe food would help.

We dove along for a little over an hour following that annoying voice that chimed in every few miles with another course correction and I decided to bring up the food thing. Before I could get the words out of my mouth, my stomach let out a loud, fierce growl and Ranger took the cue.

"Babe, I think we need to feed the beast," and he smiled.

Thank God he was smiling, I couldn't take any more of Petulant Ranger. I smiled back, took his hand and put it on my stomach just as it growled again. "Food…now," I said. Ranger smiled again, took the next exit off US 1 and we went to look for a place to eat.

Just as Ranger pointed out a little Mexican place, my phone buzzed telling me I had a text message. I opened the phone to see who had texted me but the display read, 'Blocked.' I didn't know a blocked number could text so I assumed it was from someone at Rangeman, since they all have these extraordinary powers, and opened it. I dropped the phone and let out a loud "fuck," when I saw what was texted to me. Thank God I was still in the car and the phone just fell onto the carpeted floor mat or the evidence would have been destroyed. "Ranger, Carlos," I yelled. "Stop."

He had already slowed the car to check out the Mexican place, so Ranger quickly pulled over and brought the car to a halt.

"Babe, what's the matter?" he asked.

I picked up my phone like it had the cooties and handed it to him. Ranger took one look at the image that was texted to me, took his iPhone off the console and called Bobby.

"Brown, Stephanie just had a photo texted to her. It's a picture of the two of us from the other night. It would appear that someone knows who we are and they might be going to try to use that information. Hector is our technology guru, can you get him down here to look at her phone and figure out who sent that text? I would just go to Silvio, but I don't want to involve Miami, he's probably being watched anyway."

If it didn't creep the hell out of me, it was actually a pretty wonderful picture. It was taken the night of our Mojito conversation. Ranger was leaning against the limb of a tree on the beach, he had me pulled into him–my back to his front–his arms around my waist, and he was kissing the top of my head.

As long as we were already parked in front of the Mexican place and it looked like the food was good, we decided to eat and talk next steps.

"I want to call Tank, I know he and Lula are on their way out of the country but I'm not sure he could get a flight that fast—and they needed IDs. I don't feel that we are safe here now and I want to see if Tank concurs."

The waiter brought a red plastic wicker basket of still-warm chips, a bowl of salsa and two glasses of water over to us when the door to the 5-table cantena opened, a man walked in and I saw Ranger tentatively seek out his gun.

The man glanced over at us for a second before placing a 'to go' order at the counter. I thought for a minute he was going to come over and sit with us, but saw he was looking around…his eyes darted to the restroom icons, and after paying, he left to use the men's room. My spidey-sense wasn't even tingling but I could tell that Ranger was not at all relaxed.

"Call Tank, you'll feel better," I initiated, noticing our man coming out of the restrooms and picking up his order to leave. I felt better too.

Once the guy was safely out the door, Ranger punched in Tank's number. After the Yo, yo, back and forth again I only heard Ranger's side of the conversation. "Stephanie got a present." "Ok, you know." "I think we should take a private jet from Opa-Locka, fly into Monmouth and stay at the Pardo house in Deal." "It's as safe as Fort Knox." "You agree?" "I'll talk it over with Steph." "We're near Cutler Bay right now, we can drive to Opa-Locka in about a half an hour." "Right."

"Babe, feel like going to the Jersey Shore?"

"What's the Pardo house?"

"You'll like it, it's right on the water."

"What's the Pardo house?" I tried again, hoping it wasn't a freaking safehouse he was going to lock me in.

"I think you call it the Batcave."

"Ranger?"

"Carlos."

"Carlos, is this your home?"

"Technically Marc Pardo owns it. It can never be traced to me, but yeah, it's my house."

"You once told me the Batcave is forever?'

"Babe," his one word answer.

"Ok Carlos, to the Batcave."

Ranger quickly called Bobby to stop Hector from getting on a plane, followed by another call to Lester to let him know about the photo and the change in plans. As we already had a suite booked in Orlando, Lester and Manny would stay there. Anyone looking for the Colón's would have a very unpleasant surprise.

I'm usually pretty good with last minute stuff, but all of a sudden I felt overwhelmed by everything that happened in the last half an hour and when our food arrived, I no longer had much of an appetite. I picked at my burrito and moved the rice and refried beans around on my plate while unconsciously twirling a lock of hair with my other hand. Ranger reached over, took my hand away from my hair, brought it to his mouth and kissed it.

"Babe, to use your own words from earlier...everything's going to be ok," and he kissed my hand again. "Come on, let's pack this up for later, the NetJets plane Tank called for should be flying into Opa-Locka just about now. We don't want to keep them waiting too long, Jet-A fuel is expensive," and he motioned to the waiter for our check and asked for our lunch to be wrapped.

A half an hour later we left the Mercedes with an attendant and were ushered up the gangplank of a private jet. We buckled in, taxied down the runway and took off. Once we had leveled off and were flying smoothly, we unbuckled our seat belts and Ranger motioned to a room at the back of the plane. "Come, Babe," and he took my hand. He opened the door to a bedroom suite with a king-sized bed and marbled bath. He pulled me down onto the bed and kissed me. I moaned and he kissed me again, "Was what you said to me before true?"

I said so many things earlier, I had no idea what he was referring to and I guess I looked at him questioningly. He kissed me again, pulled me close to him and ran his finger down my nose and over my lips. "You told me that you loved me."

I didn't think he was paying attention, he had seemed so distracted by the court martial news…but I guess he did hear me. We were looking into each others eyes now…looking into the depths of each others souls, so I put my hands to his face, looked at him intently and said softly, "Yes, I love you Carlos."

He rolled me over, so he was on top of me and he kissed me again. "I love you too, Stephanie." We just lay there kissing and holding one another tenderly for what felt like forever, when suddenly Carlos got this wolfish look on his face. "Want to join the mile high club, Babe?"

I didn't answer but started to take my clothes off, leaving on just my bra and panties. Then I unbuckled his belt, took his shirt out of his pants and lifted it over his head. I started running my tongue over his pects, his six-pack abs, down to his belly button, avoiding anything below…then I reversed my tactic and licked him back up to his neck. I thought I heard him moan, so I whispered, "What do you want me to do now?" And before he could answer I gently massaged his ear with my fingertips, working my way down the outer fold. Then I ran my pinkie along the crease where his ear connects to his head and ever-so-slowly prodded his ear with the tip of my tongue.

"Babe, you're killing me," I heard him say as I made my way back down his body again. I took his very erect cock out of his pants and put it in my mouth. He started to reach for me, but I moved out of his way and just kept teasing his dick with my tongue. I could tell I was driving him crazy and he could barely talk when he let out, "Babe, I'm not that good, please." I just shook my head no and said, "Well then come for me," and I took him deeper into my mouth, looked up at him with a devilish glint in my eye and started sucking him harder. I stopped, moved my tongue to the head of his dick and licked…then I blew on it. I paused for a second looking up at him, then I took him back into my mouth and brought my hands under his ass to bring more of him in, sucking him until he came…pulsing and writhing deep in my mouth.

"Babe,"

From my experience last night, I knew that Carlos was good for more than one orgasm and I was more than surprised to see how quickly he recovered from this one. I was going to show him I could be as bad as he was, so when I saw he was fully erect again, I seductively moved my thong to the side to show him my very wet vagina. I saw his eyes darken to almost black as he watched me. "Babe," he said, "I need to have what you're showing me." And then he took control and we made love again and again. It was one of the most sensual things I'd ever experienced. Every once in a while I could feel the movement of the plane, dipping a little to the left, or a little to the right and at one point we dropped…all while Carlos was inside of me or treating me to some world-class loving.

When we finally got our breathing under control, Carlos looked at the watch on his wrist and pointed to the shower. We went in together, but there wasn't enough time for any more lovemaking, we were landing in twenty minutes.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9 Domestic Ranger_

_A black Porsche 911 Turbo was waiting for us when we arrived. A man I never saw before, (he was wearing black so he may have been a Rangeman employee), nodded to Carlos and handed him the keys. We both got in, Carlos at the wheel and me in the passenger seat. Through the corner of my eye I saw that someone put our luggage in the trunk (was there really enough space in that tiny trunk for all of our bags?), and we took off for parts unknown._

_About 15 minutes later we arrived at a gate. Carlos put a contraption that looked similar to his apartment key fob up to a small, square metal pad that was attached to a stone post at the gate, and the double wrought-iron gates swung open. We drove down a curved driveway to one of the most beautiful houses I had ever seen. It was a white, slightly curved, one level building, with a red hollow tile roof. You could see through the large glass lights on either side of the front door to the ocean beyond._

_"Carlos, is this your house?" I ventured, too stunned to say anything that actually made sense._

_"Marc Pardo's, but yes, this is the Batcave," and he grinned at me._

_He parked in front, got out and walked over to my side to open the door for me, took my hand and helped me out._

_"I haven't had a chance to fix this place up yet, I just bought it at the end of the summer and I've had it closed up all winter, so pardon the sparseness."_

_Sparse? It didn't look sparse to me, it looked Mediterranean. We walked up the cobblestone walk together, Carlos' arm around me, and he put the same fob thingy up to another pad by the front door and turned the oversized handle. The interior was open and airy, the floor covered in large squares of some kind of rustic ceramic tile. Two oversized blue vases caught my eye sitting on either side of the double glass doors that opened to a deck overlooking the beach and ocean beyond._

_Just as I was taking this all in, my phone rang, I looked at the display and saw it was Lula, so I answered, "Hey." _

_"Hey yourself, girlfriend. I just heard from Tankie that you and Batman are in Point Pleasant. We couldn't get a flight out till tomorrow, and the Rangeman lawyer wants Tank to keep a very low profile until we leave. We were heading down to Point Pleasant too-it's closer to the airport we're leaving from, which I think is called Monmouth, maybe we could all have dinner tonight?"_

_"Let me talk to Ranger and call you back, I'm not sure he'll want to go out...between the court martial thing and that creep sending me pictures. We just got here, give us ten minutes to talk this over and I'll call you back."_

_I turned to Carlos, "That was Lula, we're you listening?"_

_"Tank knows how to get here and we certainly have extra rooms. Are they a couple again? I can't keep up with their status."_

_"She was asking about going out to dinner, they may have a place to stay. Not sure about the couple thing but he did invite her to go away with him, so we can only assume."_

_"It's up to you...and if you want to spend the evening with Lula. It won't be low profile...unless we get a private room in one of the restaurants, which might not be a bad idea."_

_"I'm ok with that and I'm ok with them staying here tonight too...as long as their room isn't right next to ours," I said with a wicked smile._

_Carlos took my hand and led me to a hallway to the left, off of the main living area. "This is the master suite...I want to spend a lot of time with you here," he wolf-grinned, still holding me to him and kissing my hair, as he opened the door to this palatial room with a king-sized canopied bed in the center. "Let me show you around." _

_As he intimated, the place was sparsely furnished-but I didn't mind-it felt like Carlos. In this room there was just the bed, two chests of drawers and an oversized chair with ottoman. There were also two large walk-in closets, one on either side of the room and a door that opened out to the largest bathroom I had ever seen. It had a jacuzzi tub, a marbled stall shower and contemporary vessel sink with spigot faucet, the beach in full view out the window...it was all very beautiful and certainly very expensive. Oh and the shocker of it all, the canopy on the bed, and the chair and ottoman were covered in a red fabric. Batman and red?_

_"Want to see the rest of the house, Babe? Then you can decide if you'd like Tank and Lula to stay." And he took me by the hand to continue his tour. We went back out and down the hallway, back through the living and dining area to the other side of the house, it was similar in layout to where we just came from...almost like wings on either side of a living space-except instead of one large master suite there were two bedrooms and another very large bath._

_"Tank and Lula can stay here," and he opened the door to a large bedroom with beach views. There was a king-sized bed in the center...no canopy this time, two large chests of drawers and two walk-in closets. If I hadn't seen the master suite first, I would have assumed that this was the master bedroom._

_"Ok, Batman, let's call them and invite them to stay, they'll certainly be far enough away from us," I said looking up at him seductively._

_Carlos put in a call to Tank and then one to Philipe, the building caretaker, to let him know that four of us would be in the house tonight and not to worry if someone accidentally activated an alarm. He then made arrangements for us to have a private room for our dinner party; Tank and Lula would meet us there at seven._

_"We have no food in the house and we're too far away to have Ella bring something over. Want to come grocery shopping with me so we can have something for breakfast tomorrow?" _

_"Sure, but let me ask one question first...who's going to be cooking this breakfast tomorrow? Uh, unless it's pop tarts, I don't think it's going to be me, and Lula's not much better, remember her barbecue sauce recipes?_

_"You don't think I can cook?" he looked down at me and his eyes dilated black." _

_"Yeah, but I don't think that's the kind of cooking you share with guests, Batman."_

_Carlos showed me the rest of the house before we went out to get essentials. The kitchen was all granite and stainless steel...I'm not much into kitchens, but it looked like it had every gadget necessary to make just about anything. The dining room had a long wooden table, six upholstered chairs with legs matching the table, and a buffet. The living room was made up of two overstuffed white couches sitting on a white Flokati rug, a coffee table and little else except this painting on the wall that reminded me of something I think I once saw in a museum. There was also a sitting room with a large plasma TV, a couch that looked like it matched the two in the living room, and two comfy looking chairs with ottomans. Carlos gave me a quick tour of his office, brimming with the latest technological advancements and we were on our way._

_"Carlos? That painting in the living room?" I started, "It looks familiar, I think I've seen it before."_

_"It's a little known Frida Kahlo. It's not signed and I've been told it may be a fake, but I had to have it...it reminded me of you. I bought it on auction right before I left for my mission. I asked Philipe to hang it when I knew we were coming here. Do you like it?"_

_"It reminded you of me?"_

_Carlos nodded yes, "I think it's the hair...I think it's beautiful. I think you're beautiful," and he pulled me to him and kissed me. "Come on Babe, let's do that grocery shopping before I change my mind and take you back to the bedroom...Dios, what you do to me." _

_We walked hand in hand out to the Porsche but there were so many things going on in my head I felt like I needed a file cabinet to sort them all out._

_"Um, Carlos, this place looks so different from your apartment at Rangeman. I have a feeling you picked the pieces that are here yourself, it feels more like you, am I right?_

_"I haven't really had time to decorate, and I may never have that time, but I did pick the furniture you see. I kind of drew what I liked on a piece of paper and had Ella find everything, but this is my half-assed attempt at making this place mine. I'd actually like it to be mine and yours. I want you to feel comfortable here too, I bought it with you in mind...I know how much you love the beach."_

_I didn't know what to do with this new information. Carlos obviously had a plan that included me, and as little as three days ago I didn't know anything about it. But, thinking back to Mama Melanoma's funeral last year, I did catch a glimpse of Carlos' tender side before. He held me, kissed me and wiped tears from my face, and then two seconds later he told me he wasn't family material. I was disappointed, wonder if I'll be disappointed again?_

_"I smell wood burning. Babe, what are you thinking?" _

_"This is just all so sudden, I'm having a bit of a hard time sorting things out." _

_We had walked the length of the house, out the door and were approaching the turbo, still holding hands. Carlos dropped mine instinctively and opened the door for me, his fingers grazing the side of my face as he spoke, "We'll talk about everything when Tank and Lula leave. Let's get that shopping done."_

_It took us about 10 minutes to drive into town and we parked in front of a Super Stop & Shop. Carlos commandeered a grocery cart and in we went. I couldn't help but think that this was just a strange dream as we went down the aisles, grabbing toilet paper, garbage bags and paper towels. _

_Was this Domestic Ranger?_

_It got even weirder when we were at the checkout and Carlos disappeared. I didn't realize he'd left, I was on autopilot putting the items on the conveyor belt and the cashier was busy scanning away. I turned around a couple of times to look for him and the cashier said, "Your husband went to get eggs, he said he'd be right back."_

_My husband? _

_I suddenly realized I still had those obnoxiously _ginormous_ rings on my left hand and stilled. This whole thing was so surreal...and then I felt like I might throw up._

_Carlos came back with the carton of eggs gave them to the cashier and caught me just as my knees were about to buckle. "Babe, do we need to get you some food? You look like you're going to pass out."_

_Well I could probably use food-I didn't eat much for lunch, but it wasn't lack of food that had me feeling like this...it was my life._

_Carlos paid for our purchases and we pushed our cart full of groceries back to the car. We were trying real hard to find places for everything in the turbo when that feeling of overwhelm struck again and the tears started falling from my eyes. I tried to brush them away silently, but Carlos noticed and took my hand, "Babe, what's the matter?"_

_"I don't understand what's happening, and I certainly don't understand why. I'm more frightened of this," I pointed first to myself and then to Carlos, "of this going wrong than I am about any evil person sending me pictures...but it's all happening at the same time and I'm just overwhelmed," I finally blurted out._

_"Stephanie, Babe, it will be ok. You have to trust that I won't let anything destroy what we have. Come on, let's go back, maybe I can explains some things to you."_

_We finally squished all of our packages into the turbo, the eggs were on my lap because that was the only safe place for something so breakable and drove back to the house in silence._

_We had just finished putting everything away, all nice and neat in cubbies and in the refrigerator when Carlos came over to me, picked me up bridal style and took me to the couch in the living room. He sat down and pulled me into his lap, his face pressed into my hair as he spoke, "I love you so much Stephanie. I tried to deny it for so long, told myself you were better off with Morelli and kept pushing you to him, even though I knew the relationship the two of you had was unhealthy. I kept saying I couldn't have a relationship with you or anyone else, but the truth was, we already had a relationship. We had a friendship, we cared about each other, worried about each other and the sex we shared, although it wasn't that often...which I plan to change...was off the charts. Babe, that's a relationship._

_"I want you with me in my life. I promise it won't always be easy, I'm not easy, but I would be honored if you would consider this, consider being a part of an us."_

_"I love you too, I want to be with you too...but I'm not sure I know what it is you're asking?"_

_"I'm asking for you to give me a chance. I'd love for you to move in with me, both here and on the seventh floor at Rangeman, but I don't want to push anything. As I told you the other day, I want to take you places, show you off, pamper you. I want everyone to know that this beautiful woman is mine. But I won't share you, I can't share you."_

_"There's no more Morelli, you can trust that. I found out in the most hurtful way that he was doing Terri the whole time we were together. Even when Joe and I were talking marriage, he was still seeing Terri. Everyone knew but me. Mary Lou's husband, Lenny couldn't take it any more, he felt like in the 'guy circle' I was a laughing stock, that I was being taken for a fool...so Mary Lou and Lenny took me out for drinks and told me. I was beyond hurt. I called him up and asked him point blank...at first he denied it, but when he realized that I knew, he finally confessed. Don't worry, Morelli doesn't play in this equation. And just so you know, I don't share either."_

_"And I don't treat a woman like that. I would never cheat on you…that would be disrespecting you. And more than anything, I respect you."_

_We sat in silence for a few minutes taking in our respective confessions, Carlos' arms were still around me and he pulled me closer, kissed my hair and said, "Babe, I'd like to spend my life with you."_

_Carlos all of a sudden realized the time, the restaurant was about twenty minutes away and we were still dressed in jeans. "Babe, how quickly can you get ready? We need to leave in about a half an hour, is that enough time?"_

_"I can be ready in 15 minutes, just need to change, brush my teeth and put on lipstick. And add another coat of mascara and I'll be good to go," I said as we walked down the hallway towards the Master Suite._

_"Can I watch?"_

_"Watch what Batman? If you watch me get dressed we won't be leaving in fifteen minutes."_

_"I want to watch you put your makeup on. I think it's so sexy, that pouty little lip thing you do when you put your lipstick on, Dios, Babe."_

_"I think there's something wrong with you Batman. Are you turning voyeur on me, hmmm? Hey, do you think I can I wear this linen thing Ella packed for Florida? I don't have any cooler weather clothes here?"_

_"Pair it with that short red leather jacket and you'll be fine," he said pointing to a jacket on a hanger, "You look beautiful no matter what you wear."_

_"You mentioned red and it made me think, what's with the red accents in here?" I pointed. "I thought you were a black, white and neutrals kind of guy?"_

_"I thought you would like it. Red is the color of passion and it's my intention to show you a lot of passion in this room." I looked over at Carlos and saw him adjusting himself. "Babe, you're going to kill me. Let's head out."_

_Chapter 10 The abduction_

_When we got to the restaurant Tank and Lula were already there and had been taken back to the private room to wait for us. They were engaged in a serious lip lock when we walked into the back room and didn't even hear us approach until Ranger cleared his throat, "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Sherman," and laughed, as they broke apart startled, then Tank spoke somewhat apologetically._

_"__Good to see you guys," he __began, trying to get himself under control. "I was hoping we'd have a chance to talk in person before we left the country and you two went underground. There's a lot of things going on that don't seem to make sense individually and even when I try to put them together I'm still drawing blanks. Our four heads are better than my one, so hopefully by the time we have to leave in the morning we'll have been able to put some two and twos together and have them equal four."_

_Lula added, "Yeah, and for the next hour or so, I'd like to have my BFF back, and forget that she someone's target." Lula pulled me into a big bear hug. "White girl, how you doing?"_

_We held each other in the embrace and I whispered. "Lula, I am so glad you and Tank figured it all out. When you guys get back, can we to talk? I'm scared shitless about what's happening with me and Batman."_

_"__The way I figure, it's all cool," she whispered back. "Meant to be."_

_The waitress came back to take our drink order and Lula and I ordered margaritas, while the guys each had a beer. A little while later our waitress came around again for our dinner choices. Somehow Lula and I got caught up in catching up and I never even opened my menu, so when I did a quick scan to see what I wanted, I realized there were two of everything. Lula and I had been sipping our frozen goodnesses through the little straws and I was well on my way to being sloshed. "Oh shit." And I tapped on Carlos' arm, "Batman, can you order for me, I think I had too much to drink." _

_"__You only had one drink Babe?"_

_"__Yeah, but it was a big one, and I didn't have much for lunch." _

_"__I think you should have some of this bread to absorb the alcohol," he said and cut off a big slice from the loaf on the table and gave it to me. "And you should probably eat something with a lot of protein. Do you like fish Babe?"_

_I made a face that said 'no, no, no' and Carlos got the hint._

_"__I know you like burgers. This isn't exactly a burger place, but I'll bet they can make you one," he said looking at the waitress, who nodded in reply._

_"__Can she get some fries too?" I heard him ask._

_"__Sweet potato or regular?" the waitress chimed in._

_"__Regular," I answered closing my eyes in hopes that the two Lula's sitting across from me would magically turn back into one when I opened them._

_That wasn't the case. I noticed that there was a small chaise with a lot of pillows on it in the corner of the room so I went over to it to lay down until out food arrived. "Just ten minutes guys, I can hear everything you say, just want to close my eyes for a few minutes." Or at least until the spinning stops._

_"__Babe, we can get the food to go if you'd rather be in your own bed?"_

_"__No, I'm good, really, I can feel the bread working already," and I really could, or at least I thought I could. And in truth, that wasn't my own bed…in fact I'd never even slept in it before, although if it was anything like the bed in his apartment, I'd be in seventh heaven as soon as I got under the covers. But I was still pretty weirded out by all of Batman's confessions, and I wasn't ready to fall asleep alone._

_I woke with a start when I head a food cart coming into the back room. Actually I think the smell of my burger and fries was what woke me. I tentatively lifted my head and looked out of one eye. No doubles. So I tried the other eye…thank goodness for small miracles. I got up slowly and walked over to the table. _

_"__How do you feel, Babe?" Carlos asked as he took my hand, kissed it then pulled me to him._

_"__You know…I think I'm ok, but that burger and fries are definitely calling my name. And a coke, I see you ordered me a coke. I love you Batman!" The three of them laughed out loud at my outburst, but as we all settled down to eat, the room quieted._

_Tank spoke first after we all had a few forkfuls of food, "I'm going to lay out what we know right now, if anyone can see a pattern, please jump in." And we all nodded in agreement. "Number one," Tank continued, counting on his fingers, "Ranger and myself are going to be served court martials by the feds, that is if they can find us to serve them to us. To sidestep this, Steph and Santos, and later Steph and Ranger were/are posing as Victor and Jennifer Colón. Number two, Manuel Garcia, an ex Rangeman Miami employee, jumped Ranger, who was posing as Victor Colón at the time, for no apparent reason. Number three, there was another man apprehended at the scene for carrying a gun, but he seemed__ to check out and was let go. Number four. Garcia was arrested in front of our building in Trenton three weeks ago, we assume he was scoping out the place and maybe checking up on Ranger. Number five; the chauffeur that picked Steph and Santos up at the airport was bogus. Number six, this same bogus chauffeur was spotted at the Ritz where the Colón's were staying...or at least where he thought they were staying, last night." Number seven. Stephanie was texted a picture of her and Ranger embracing on the beach. Sending this picture to Stephanie's phone tells me that whoever sent it knew this was Ranger and Steph, not the Colóns." He paused. "I think that's it for now."_

_Lula broke in, "The way I see it, we have two, possibly three things going on. The feds are one thing. The ex-Rangeman employee is the other. The person who texted Steph could fit into either bucket, or it could be it's own thing. But all the other points that you just listed Tankie, seem to point to the ex-employee. Has anyone run a check on other exes? Could a couple of them have banded together, to get even, maybe?"_

_"__Good thinking Lula," Ranger, who I knew was not a big Lula fan, broke in and praised her. "I thought the same thing and asked Silvio to check that out. Silvio emailed Santos pictures of all the ex-Rangeman Miami employees, and none of them were the man Steph and Lester saw."_

_"__What about Rangeman Boston, or Rangeman Trenton," she tried again, "did Lester look at pictures of ex-employees from there too? Specially if Garcia was spotted in Trenton, that might be the connection."_

_"__Good point," I interjected and my heart filled with pride for her, she was really thinking on her feet. "Can we get pictures of all ex-Rangeman employees to Les?"_

_Tank had his phone out, dialing Brown as soon as the last of Lula's question came out of her mouth, and he pulled her in tight and spoke to her while he waited for Bobby to pick up. "Baby, that was good." And I saw Lula beam and then her face changed._

_"__What if it's not an ex-employee that Garcia has teamed up with? Maybe you should send Lester pictures of all employees," she added to her thought. "Know what I'm sayin'?"_

_We all nodded, very impressed with Lula's line of thinking. I've always known, but was glad that Carlos and Tank saw, she had much more to offer than people usually gave her credit for. I think Carlos often wondered why the two of us teamed up-the less than competent and the incompetent, and was glad he saw first hand what she could bring to the party._

_We finished our meal thinking about Lula's strategy. I couldn't see it being a Trenton employee because not that long ago I went over every single one with a fine tooth comb, and as I had said to Ranger at the time, he had one very well oiled machine there, but I knew little about Miami and even less about Boston. _

_"If it's Trenton, it's not a current employee," I blurted out. "but it could be an ex...although I've been working with you guys for a while and I haven't seen any turnover...in fact everyone is so loyal, what are your stats on that?"_

_"Early on we went through a lot of personnel changes. I wasn't sure what kind of person we needed and we hired a number that didn't work out," Ranger interjected. "But once our core team was in place...Tank, Santos, Brown and myself, we started making smart hires, most of those guys are still with us today. The one ex-Trenton person who comes to mind is Donny Pearce. He was a big guy with a lot of anger issues, in a way similar to Garcia. He thought his job allowed him to be an enforcer and we got some bad press from his actions, I think he was the main reason the TPD and Rangeman didn't see eye to eye in the beginning, remember Tank?"_

_"Yeah, I was thinking of him too, we should have someone run a check on him ASAP."_

_"I have my laptop back at the house with all my programs on it, I can start the search tonight," I started to say, then realized where I was staying. Carlos' programs probably made mine look like child's play. "Actually, I saw Carlos' office earlier, I bet I could do a more thorough search from there," and I looked to Carlos for affirmation._

_"Babe, thanks for offering. I'll take you through what I have and between the two of us we can start running that tonight. Should we order coffee and dessert and then head back to my place?"_

_Hell with everyone else, I was getting dessert and I knew Lula probably wanted some too, so when the waitress came by to see how we were doing, I asked for the dessert menu. They had a molten chocolate cake on the menu...one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world. I almost asked for a double order, but didn't want Tank to think poorly of me, so I only ordered one. Lula had some raspberry cheesecake thing and the guys had black coffee. God what was wrong with them?_

_I didn't think I'd make it back to the house without stopping at a ladies room, so I asked Lula if she wanted to join me, just as much to talk as to pee. I thought I caught sight of Ram as we turned the corner, but maybe that was my imagination, what would he be doing here?_

_"What I tell you girlfriend? Knew Batman would come clean one of these days. What he say got you sittin' there all holding hands and everything?" Lula started in on me._

_"I still can't figure everything out, he says we'll talk more after you and Tank leave, but he's told me more than once that he loves me and this afternoon he told me he wanted me to move in with him and that he wanted to spend his life with me. I'm kind of freaking out, Lula."_

_"But you love him, right? I mean you always used to tell me you loved both of them and now that we know Cop is a scumbag, it all worked is'self out. You look happy, you look like you getting some."_

_"I don't know about happy, dazed is more like it."_

_"When Tankie and I get back, we'll talk, but in the meantime don't do anything stupid, you hear me?"_

_We washed our hands and went back outside to meet the guys and I swear I saw Cal as we rounded the corners. "Lula, is that Cal?" I asked, more to make sure I wasn't hallucinating._

_"You can't miss Cal girlfriend, wonder how they let him in such a upscale place as this?"_

_We caught up with the guys out front, Tank and Carlos had already paid the bill and I decided to ask him, point blank. "I swear I just saw Ram and Cal here, are they guarding us or something?"_

_One word answer, "Babe," and I knew I was right._

_We drove back to Carlos' house in our separate cars and after we did the key fob gate thing, I realized that we weren't going into the house the way we had before…we were heading past the house and around the corner to the back. Carlos had never taken me this way before and I was surprised to find a three-car garage on the property. Carlos fobbed it open the same as he did the house and pulled in to the first spot, the second spot was already occupied with a car that looked surprisingly like the Mercedes CL65 we were just driving around Florida. Tank filed into the third spot and we all got out._

_"Carlos, is that the car we just left in Opa-Locka? It looks just like it, it even has Florida plates?" _

_"I had it brought up for you."_

_"Wasn't that a rental?_

_"Babe." _

_"How did it get here so fast? We just got here about 6 hours ago? Doesn't it take something like 24-hours to drive up from Florida? And you know how I am with cars, I do better with used ones."_

_"Babe." Long pause. "I had it air freighted up, I think it just got here and it is a used car, we drove it through Florida," he grinned, then gave me his 200-watt smile and moved closer to me. "I told you that I wanted to pamper you...this is my first attempt at pampering."_

_Lula's mouth dropped hearing this, "White girl, you heard what I said before?"_

_I was as dumb-founded as she was, I didn't know what to say. "Batman can we talk about this later?"_

_"Sure Babe. I want to show you the gym, I left it off our tour earlier and if I know Tank, he'll want to hit it either tonight or first thing in the morning." With that Batman led us up a flight of stairs, and opened a door over the three-car garage._

_I was shocked to seen an almost perfect replica of the gym at Haywood, but perhaps with a few less of everything. Then he took my hand and led me to another door, and through a small hallway to an apartment, "And this is where our friends and families can stay when they come to visit, it has two bedrooms, a bath and a half and a full kitchen. And it's very quiet back here, all you can hear are the waves rolling in." Then he smiled that wolf-grin smile of his, "We don't need your granny sneaking in on us when we're making love."_

_Lula looked at me again, "girlfriend," was all she said, perhaps a little sternly._

_It was getting late and I was exhausted from the day. I knew I still had that search to run and as we turned to head back to the main house, I yawned loudly. "Sorry, I think the day is catching up with me. Carlos, can you show me how to use your programs? We can let them run overnight and just print everything out in the morning...Tank, Lula, what time is your flight?"_

_"We need to be in Monmouth by 11," Tank told us, "if we get up around 7 and check the results of your search, we can let Bobby know what to look for and have a leisurely breakfast. The airport is only about fifteen minutes away, and it's a charter, so even if we're a few minutes late, it's not going to go anywhere."_

_We went back to our respective rooms; us to change into more comfortable clothes before heading into Carlos' office to find out all we could about Donny Pearce; Tank and Lula to relax in the sitting room for a while. I got all comfy in my cotton boy-short, tank-top pjs and Carlos led me into his office. He closed and locked the door, pulled me to him and kissed me-a lot of tongue this time. _

_"Batman, we've got some business to take care of first."_

_"Mmmm, I'm trying, Babe."_

_"Seriously, Batman," I broke apart, "Let's start this first, I brought my laptop so we can start multiple searches at the same time, then we can play." And I lovingly bit him on his nose._

_It didn't take long for Carlos to show me how to use the equipment in his office and how to pull up the information I couldn't get on my limited software, while we ran the obvious stuff on mine. _

_That in the works, Carlos pulled me to him again, his hands all over me as he kissed me, "Babe, I want to make love to you, over and over again, look what you do to me," he said as his very hard penis poked me in the stomach. "I have fantasies of taking you on this desk, then in front of the fireplace, in my kitchen, the jacuzzi and on my bed." He thoroughly kissed me. "Then we move outside...I want to fuck you in the pool, on the deck, make love to you on the beach, under the stars__."_

_Carlos was whispering all the things he wanted to do to me when there was a knock on the office door. "Ranger, I just spoke with Santos, Manny never arrived."_

_We broke apart quickly, Ranger opened the door and let Tank in. "What do we know?"_

_"He was supposed to have been on a two o'clock flight out of Newark. Santos checked the seated passenger list, he never made that plane."_

_"Shit, did we check with his girlfriend? Maybe something came up." _

_"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Mariella, he should have made that flight, he left in plenty of time. Before calling me, Santos had Hal pull up the GPS tracker on his Explorer, it's parked in the short term parking lot at the airport. Something happened between the lot and the terminal. Cal and Ram are still on duty, I sent them over to Newark to poke around. Let's pull up some records from your office, do we know if he had a personal tracker embedded under his skin? I have one, you, Santos and Brown do too, I know Cal and Ram and Hal opted for it, but not sure about Manny," Tank was saying as Carlos pulled up Manny Ramos' personal files._

_"Looks like he had one implanted in early December but it stopped working a few weeks ago. He hasn't had the faulty one replaced yet, maybe we can jump start it back into working order from here?"_

_All I heard was 'trackers embedded under the skin,' and that Carlos, Tank and a few of the other guys had them. The thought was making my__ skin crawl__ and my stomach turn and I was getting seriously creeped out...too much information. _

_Ranger was on the phone with Hector, Rangeman's resident technoid, speaking an excited Spanish a mile a minute. He turned to Tank and Lula, then to me to elaborate, "Babe, Tank, Lula…Hector got a blip, looks like Manny is in one of the warehouses down by the river. We need to send in a few teams, Tank and I can't go, we'd be giving up our cover, but you and Lula can if you want to be part of the action. It's an hour drive from here, Philipe can take you to Haywood if you want to leave now." As much as I wanted to be there when we emancipated Manny, my body was shutting down quickly and I was in serious need of sleep. _

_"__I think there are better people than us to send in," I said hoping Lula would agree__ and thankfully she nodded in accent. _

_"__As much as I want to be there too, we'd be in the way and maybe give up your cover, Batman," Lula added to my thought._

_At this point all I wanted to know was that Manny was safe or would be soon__, and then I wanted Carlos' arms around me, his lips warm on my skin and the promise of penetration in my near future. And I bet Lula wanted the same. But with her 'Tankie__."_

_We all felt we had done the best we could, Carlos and Tank would be on call for the rest of the night should anything unexpected go down and all four of us, as couples, went off to our respective__ rooms to spend time with our mates._

_"__Babe," Carlos began, "maybe not tonight because we are too tired, but I promised I'd teach you some things that would make you very happy. I once told Joyce that I would ruin you for all other men and I want to follow through on my promises. Your choice when, but I want to share some things you'd never learn in school, I want to share a different kind of anatomy lesson._


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Please note: This chapter is unedited, my beta Fredda (Rangegirl1234) was ill and is just catching up, but since I had this written, I wanted to post it.

Things I didn't know, I googled, so if you find obvious errors, they are all mine.

Chapter 10 _The abduction_

When we got to the restaurant Tank and Lula were already there and had been taken back to the private room to wait for us. They were engaged in a serious lip lock when we walked into the back room and didn't even hear us approach until Ranger cleared his throat, "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Sherman," and laughed, as they broke apart startled, then Tank spoke somewhat apologetically.

"Good to see you guys," he began, trying to get himself under control. "I was hoping we'd have a chance to talk in person before we left the country and you two went underground. There's a lot of things going on that don't seem to make sense individually and even when I try to put them together I'm still drawing blanks. Our four heads are better than my one, so hopefully by the time we have to leave in the morning we'll have been able to put some two and twos together and have them equal four."

Lula added, "Yeah, and for the next hour or so, I'd like to have my BFF back, and forget that she someone's target." Lula pulled me into a big bear hug. "White girl, how you doing?"

We held each other in the embrace and I whispered. "Lula, I am so glad you and Tank figured it all out. When you guys get back, can we to talk? I'm scared shitless about what's happening with me and Batman."

"The way I figure, it's all cool," she whispered back. "Meant to be."

The waitress came back to take our drink order and Lula and I ordered margaritas, while the guys each had a beer. A little while later our waitress came around again for our dinner choices. Somehow Lula and I got caught up in catching up and I never even opened my menu, so when I did a quick scan to see what I wanted, I realized there were two of everything. Lula and I had been sipping our frozen goodnesses through the little straws and I was well on my way to being sloshed. "Oh shit." And I tapped on Carlos' arm, "Batman, can you order for me, I think I had too much to drink."

"You only had one drink Babe?"

"Yeah, but it was a big one, and I didn't have much for lunch."

"I think you should have some of this bread to absorb the alcohol," he said and cut off a big slice from the loaf on the table and gave it to me. "And you should probably eat something with a lot of protein. Do you like fish Babe?"

I made a face that said 'no, no, no' and Carlos got the hint.

"I know you like burgers. This isn't exactly a burger place, but I'll bet they can make you one," he said looking at the waitress, who nodded in reply.

"Can she get some fries too?" I heard him ask.

"Sweet potato or regular?" the waitress droned out boredly.

"Regular," I answered closing my eyes in hopes that the two Lula's sitting across from me would magically turn back into one when I opened them.

That wasn't the case. I noticed that there was a small chaise with a lot of pillows on it in the corner of the room so I went over to it to lay down until out food arrived. "Just ten minutes guys, I can hear everything you say, just want to close my eyes for a few minutes." Or at least until the spinning stops.

"Babe, we can get the food to go if you'd rather be in your own bed?"

"No, I'm good, really, I can feel the bread working already," and I really could, or at least I thought I could. And in truth, that wasn't my own bed…in fact I'd never even slept in it before, although if it was anything like the bed in his apartment, I'd be in seventh heaven as soon as I got under the covers. But I was still pretty weirded out by all of Batman's confessions, and I wasn't ready to fall asleep alone.

I woke with a start when I head a food cart coming into the back room. Actually I think the smell of my burger and fries was what woke me. I tentatively lifted my head and looked out of one eye. No doubles. So I tried the other eye…thank goodness for small miracles. I got up slowly and walked over to the table.

"How do you feel, Babe?" Carlos asked as he took my hand, kissed it then pulled me to him.

"You know…I think I'm ok, but that burger and fries are definitely calling my name. And a coke, I see you ordered me a coke. I love you Batman!" The three of them laughed out loud at my outburst, but as we all settled down to eat, the room quieted.

Tank spoke first after we all had a few forkfuls of food, "I'm going to lay out what we know right now, if anyone can see a pattern, please jump in." And we all nodded in agreement. "Number one," Tank continued, counting on his fingers, "Ranger and myself are going to be served court martials by the feds, that is if they can find us to serve them to us. To sidestep this, Steph and Santos, and later Steph and Ranger were/are posing as Victor and Jennifer Colón. Number two, Manuel Garcia, an ex Rangeman Miami employee, jumped Ranger, who was posing as Victor Colón at the time, for no apparent reason. Number three, there was another man apprehended at the scene for carrying a gun, but he _seemed_ to check out and was let go. Number four. Garcia was arrested in front of our building in Trenton three weeks ago, we assume he was scoping out the place and maybe checking up on Ranger. Number five; the chauffeur that picked Steph and Santos up at the airport was bogus. Number six, this same bogus chauffeur was spotted at the Ritz where the Colón's were staying...or at least where he thought they were staying, last night. Number seven. Stephanie was texted a picture of her and Ranger embracing on the beach. Sending this picture to Stephanie's phone tells me that whoever sent it knew this was Ranger and Steph, not the Colóns." He paused. "I think that's it for now."

Lula broke in, "The way I see it, we have two, possibly three things going on. The feds are one thing. The ex-Rangeman employee is the other. The person who texted Steph could fit into either bucket, or it could be it's own thing. But all the other points that you just listed Tankie, seem to point to the ex-employee. Has anyone run a check on other exes? Could a couple of them have banded together, to get even, maybe?"

"Good thinking Lula," Ranger, who I knew was not a big Lula fan, broke in and praised her. "I thought the same thing and asked Silvio to check that out. Silvio emailed Santos pictures of all the ex-Rangeman Miami employees, and none of them were the man Steph and Lester saw."

"What about Rangeman Boston, or Rangeman Trenton," she tried again, "did Lester look at pictures of ex-employees from there too? Specially if Garcia was spotted in Trenton, that might be the connection."

"Good point," I interjected and my heart filled with pride for her, she was really thinking on her feet. "Can we get pictures of all ex-Rangeman employees to Les?"

Tank had his phone out, dialing Brown as soon as the last of Lula's question came out of her mouth, and he pulled her in tight and spoke to her while he waited for Bobby to pick up. "Baby, that was good." And I saw Lula beam and then her face changed.

"What if it's not an ex-employee that Garcia has teamed up with? Maybe you should send Lester pictures of all employees," she added to her thought. "Know what I'm sayin'?"

We all nodded, very impressed with Lula's line of thinking. I've always known, but was glad that Carlos and Tank saw, she had much more to offer than people usually gave her credit for. I think Carlos often wondered why the two of us teamed up-the less than competent and the incompetent, and was glad he saw first hand what she could bring to the party.

We finished our meal thinking about Lula's strategy. I couldn't see it being a Trenton employee because not that long ago I went over every single one with a fine tooth comb, and as I had said to Ranger at the time, he had one very well oiled machine there, but I knew little about Miami and even less about Boston.

"If it's Trenton, it's not a current employee," I blurted out. "but it could be an ex...although I've been working with you guys for a while and I haven't seen any turnover...in fact everyone is so loyal, what are your stats on that?"

"Early on we went through a lot of personnel changes. I wasn't sure what kind of person we needed and we hired a number that didn't work out," Ranger interjected. "But once our core team was in place...Tank, Santos, Brown and myself, we started making smart hires, most of those guys are still with us today. The one ex-Trenton person who comes to mind is Donny Pearce. He was a big guy with a lot of anger issues, in a way similar to Garcia. He thought his job allowed him to be an enforcer and we got some bad press from his actions, I think he was the main reason the TPD and Rangeman didn't see eye to eye in the beginning, remember Tank?"

"Yeah, I was thinking of him too, we should have someone run a check on him ASAP."

"I have my laptop back at the house with all my programs on it, I can start the search tonight," I started to say, then realized where I was staying. Carlos' programs probably made mine look like child's play. "Actually, I saw Carlos' office earlier, I bet I could do a more thorough search from there," and I looked to Carlos for affirmation.

"Babe, thanks for offering. I'll take you through what I have and between the two of us we can start running that tonight. Should we order coffee and dessert and then head back to my place?"

Hell with everyone else, I was getting dessert and I knew Lula probably wanted some too, so when the waitress came by to see how we were doing, I asked for the dessert menu. They had a molten chocolate cake on the menu...one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world. I almost asked for a double order, but didn't want Tank to think poorly of me, so I only ordered one. Lula had some raspberry cheesecake thing and the guys had black coffee. God what was wrong with them?

I didn't think I'd make it back to the house without stopping at a ladies room, so I asked Lula if she wanted to join me, just as much to talk as to pee. I thought I caught sight of Ram as we turned the corner, but maybe that was my imagination, what would he be doing here?

"What I tell you girlfriend? Knew Batman would come clean one of these days. What he say got you sittin' there all holding hands and everything?" Lula started in on me.

"I still can't figure everything out, he says we'll talk more after you and Tank leave, but he's told me more than once that he loves me and this afternoon he told me he wanted me to move in with him and that he wanted to spend his life with me. I'm kind of freaking out, Lula."

"But you love him, right? I mean you always used to tell me you loved both of them and now that we know Cop is a scumbag, it all worked is'self out. You look happy, you look like you getting some."

"I don't know about happy, dazed is more like it."

"When Tankie and I get back, we'll talk, but in the meantime don't do anything stupid, you hear me?"

We washed our hands and went back outside to meet the guys and I swear I saw Cal as we rounded the corners. "Lula, is that Cal?" I asked, more to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"You can't miss Cal girlfriend, wonder how they let him in such a upscale place as this?"

We caught up with the guys out front, Tank and Carlos had already paid the bill and I decided to ask him, point blank. "I swear I just saw Ram and Cal here, are they guarding us or something?"

One word answer, "Babe," and I knew I was right.

We drove back to Carlos' house in our separate cars and after we did the key fob gate thing, I realized that we weren't going into the house the way we had before…we were heading past the house and around the corner to the back. Carlos had never taken me this way before and I was surprised to find a four-car garage on the property. Carlos fobbed it open the same as he did the house and pulled in to the first spot, the second spot was already occupied with a car that looked surprisingly like the Mercedes CL65 we were just driving around Florida. Tank filed into the third spot and we all got out.

"Carlos, is that the car we just left in Opa-Locka? It looks just like it, it even has Florida plates?"

"I had it brought up for you."

"Wasn't that a rental?

"Babe."

"How did it get here so fast? We just got here about 6 hours ago? Doesn't it take something like 24-hours to drive up from Florida? And you know how I am with cars, I do better with used ones."

"Babe." Long pause. "I had it air freighted up, I think it just got here and it _is_ a used car, we drove it through Florida," he grinned, then gave me his 200-watt smile and moved closer to me. "I told you that I wanted to pamper you...this is my first attempt at pampering."

Lula's mouth dropped hearing this, "White girl, you heard what I said before?"

I was as dumb-founded as she was, I didn't know what to say. "Batman can we talk about this later?"

"Sure Babe. I want to show you the gym, I left it off our tour earlier and if I know Tank, he'll want to hit it either tonight or first thing in the morning." With that Batman led us up a flight of stairs, and opened a door over the garage.

I was shocked to see an almost perfect replica of the gym at Haywood, but perhaps with a few less of everything. Then he took my hand and led me to another door, and through a small hallway to an apartment, "And this is where our friends and families can stay when they come to visit, it has two bedrooms, a bath and a half and a full kitchen. And it's very quiet back here, all you can hear are the waves rolling in." Then he smiled that wolf-grin smile of his, "We don't need your granny sneaking in on us when we're making love."

Lula looked at me again, "girlfriend," was all she said, perhaps a little sternly.

It was getting late and I was exhausted from the day. I knew I still had that search to run and as we turned to head back to the main house, I yawned loudly. "Sorry, I think everything is catching up with me. Carlos, can you show me how to use your programs? We can let them run overnight and just print everything out in the morning...Tank, Lula, what time is your flight?"

"We need to be in Monmouth by 11," Tank told us, "if we get up around 7 and check the results of your search, we can let Bobby know what to look for and have a leisurely breakfast. The airport is only about fifteen minutes away, and it's a charter, so even if we're a few minutes late, it's not going to go anywhere."

We went back to our respective rooms; us to change into more comfortable clothes before heading into Carlos' office to find out all we could about Donny Pearce; Tank and Lula to relax in the sitting room for a while. I got all comfy in my cotton boy-short, tank-top pjs and Carlos led me into his office. He closed and locked the door, pulled me to him and kissed me-a lot of tongue this time.

"Batman, we've got some business to take care of first."

"Mmmm, I'm trying, Babe."

"Seriously, Batman," I broke apart, "Let's start this first, I brought my laptop so we can start multiple searches at the same time, then we can play." And I lovingly bit him on his nose.

It didn't take long for Carlos to show me how to use the equipment in his office and how to pull up the information I couldn't get on my limited software, while we ran the obvious stuff on mine.

That in the works, Carlos pulled me to him again, his hands all over me as he kissed me, "Babe, I want to make love to you, over and over again, look what you do to me," he said as his very hard penis poked me in the stomach. "I have fantasies of taking you on this desk, then in front of the fireplace, in my kitchen, the jacuzzi and on my bed." He thoroughly kissed me. "Then we move outside...I want to fuck you in the pool, on the deck, make love to you on the beach, under the stars."

Carlos was whispering all the things he wanted to do to me when there was a knock on the office door. "Ranger, I just spoke with Santos, Manny never arrived."

We broke apart quickly, Ranger adjusted himself then opened the door to let Tank in. "What do we know?"

"He was supposed to have been on a two o'clock flight out of Newark. Santos checked the seated passenger list, he never made that plane."

"Shit, did we check with his girlfriend? Maybe something came up."

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Mariella, he should've made that flight, he left in plenty of time. Before calling me, Santos had Hal pull up the GPS tracker on his Explorer, it's parked in the short term parking lot at the airport. Something happened between the lot and the terminal. Cal and Ram are still on duty, I sent them over to Newark to poke around. Let's pull up some records from your office, do we know if he had a RFID chip injected under his skin? I have one, you, Santos and Brown do too, I know Cal and Ram and Hal opted for it, but not sure about Manny," Tank was saying as Carlos pulled up Manny Ramos' personal files.

"Looks like he had one implanted in early December but it stopped working a few weeks ago. He hasn't had the faulty one replaced yet, maybe we can jump start it back into working order from Trenton?"

All I heard was 'chip injected under the skin,' and that Carlos, Tank and a few of the other guys had them. The thought was making _my_ skin crawl and my stomach turn and I was getting seriously creeped out...too much information.

Ranger was on the phone with Hector, Rangeman's resident technoid, speaking an excited Spanish a mile a minute. He turned to Tank and Lula, then to me to elaborate, "Babe, Tank, Lula…Hector got a blip, looks like Manny is in one of the warehouses down by the river. We need to send in a few teams, Tank and I can't go, we'd be giving up our cover, but you and Lula can if you want to be part of the action. It's an hour drive from here, Philipe can take you to Haywood if you want to leave now." As much as I wanted to be there when we emancipated Manny, my body was shutting down quickly and I was in serious need of sleep.

"I think there are better people than us to send in," I said hoping Lula would agree and thankfully she nodded in accent.

"As much as I want to be there too, we'd be in the way and maybe give up your cover, Batman," Lula added to my thought.

At this point all I wanted to know was that Manny was safe or would be soon, and then I wanted Carlos' arms around me, his lips warm on my skin and the promise of penetration in my near future. And I bet Lula wanted the same. But with her '_Tankie_.'

We all felt we had done the best we could, Carlos and Tank would be on call for the rest of the night should anything unexpected go down and all four of us, as couples, went off to our respective rooms to spend time with our partners.

"Babe," Carlos began, "maybe not tonight because we are too tired, but I promised I'd teach you some things that would make you very happy. I once told Joyce that I would ruin you for all other men and I want to follow through on my promises. Your choice when, but I want to share some things you'd never learn in school, this is a different kind of anatomy lesson."

Now I was really freaked out, what could Batman know that I didn't? I mean after all there are just so many parts down there, right? And adding this to everything else he'd told me over the last few of days I was seriously going to have to hold myself back from bolting. We were clearly in a different league.

I was still giving myself the psychological evaluation, when Carlos came over, put an arm around me kissing my hair, and broke into my train of thought, "Babe, did I upset you? You know I would never hurt you, don't you? Nothing bad, Babe, you have to trust me."

"You know I trust you with my life, Batman, but you're saying things that are scaring me. I don't understand a lot of it, but I do trust you to be honest with me." Then I decided to be flip, "I thought you already ruined me for all other men?"

Batman just shook his head, "Not yet, Babe."

Ok this conversation seemed to be deteriorating quickly, time to change the subject, "Carlos, can we pull up a feed and watch what's going in in Trenton? You mentioned that Hector was going to set it up so we'd be able to see the warehouse in real time."

"Yes, we can pull that up on the laptop or iPad, but I'm not sure it's a good idea just yet. We don't know for sure that they didn't discover the RFID implant and remove it or worse, I'd rather hear that Manny is ok before we start looking at what could be disturbing video."

"I didn't think of that...will they call you when the teams are in place? Are you and Tank going to watch?"

"Let's get some sleep. Tank and I are on call, Hector will let us know when we are needed. I'd like to feel you next to me for the next couple of hours."

Oh shit, I hope this isn't _the lesson_. "Ok, Batman."

True to his word, Carlos just held me, caressed me and kissed me until I fell into a very pleasant and comfortable sleep. His bed was just what I would have expected it to be...from the pure white, perfectly ironed, Egyptian cotton 1,000-count sheets that made me feel all warm and happy, to the red canopy above casting a soothing effect over everything...and I don't know what kind of mattresses Carlos buys, but I've never slept better than I do in his beds. Mmmm, I'll have to ask.

I woke up alone to the sun just coming up outside. It all came back to me...Manny, Tank and Lula, Carlos' promises...so I got out of bed, put on a robe and padded down the hall to his office to see if I could find out what was going on. Carlos' and Tank's eyes were glued to the computer screen where a streaming video feed was still in progress. I didn't want to just barge in, in case things weren't going well and there was something they didn't want me to see. "Carlos, can I come in? I asked."

"Mmm, Babe," he answered getting up, coming over and kissing me good morning. "It took us all night to get to him, let me bring you up to speed. They must have some pretty sophisticated equipment because they found the chip, cut it out of Manny and left it in the warehouse for us to find. There wasn't a lot of blood...but it _was_ his, so we assumed he was still alive and that they had moved him, probably to throw us off. Zero was able to locate him through a couple of minute drops of blood that he spotted outside another abandoned warehouse about a half mile away. We have men in place now and are ready to take down the kidnappers and get Manny out of there."

"Can I stay and watch?" I tried, hoping he'd let me see Rangeman in action.

"We don't know what to expect, but my men are good at what they do, so this should be fairly routine...pull up a seat."

I saw men in full combat gear outside a warehouse on the video feed. I could make out Bobby and Zero in the foreground. Although we couldn't hear anything only watch what was unfolding, Bobby seemed to be in charge and his hand was in the air. I saw Bobby's hand drop as if in a signal, and the men moved forward rapidly. The place was surrounded and I could see Bobby speaking through a bullhorn. Nothing happened. I saw him bring the bullhorn back to his mouth again and watched the chords of his neck tighten. I could tell he was yelling. He signaled again, two men rushed forward, took out the door and went inside, two other men followed a few feet behind, and two more a few feet behind them. I could see some kind of commotion, but couldn't tell what was happening in the building. My sense of timing was all off, but maybe ten minutes passed before I saw three guys come out...two Rangemen on either side of a man slumped over being almost carried out. I could tell it wasn't Manny. A few minutes passed and another threesome came out of the building, two Rangemen on either side of struggling, slumped over man...not Manny.

I knew six Rangemen went in initially, so that left two still inside. I wanted to ask Carlos what was going on, but he and Tank were too intent on the screen to be disturbed. There seemed to be some more commotion and two new Rangemen went in with a stretcher. A few more minutes passed and the four remaining Rangemen came out with Manny on the stretcher. I couldn't tell if he was dead or alive, but I saw Bobby run up to the stretcher with his medic bag, so I assumed he was alive.

Suddenly the phone in Ranger's office rang and Tank picked it up. "Speak," I heard him say. Tank put the phone on speaker and we heard Cal's voice come over the line.

"We got Ramos out. The kidnappers aren't in great shape, we had to subdue them to get them out of the building, but they'll probably live. I think Ramos was beaten, he's been in and out of consciousness, Bobby is with him now. We called ER, they're on their way. They're going to take him to St. Francis. Tank, have a good trip, we'll be in touch with Ranger as things unfold. Oh, and just so you know, one of them was Donny Pearce." And he disconnected.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Please note: This chapter is unedited, my beta Fredda (Rangegirl1234) was ill and is just catching up, but since I had this written, I wanted to post it.

Things I didn't know, I googled, so if you find obvious errors, they are all mine.

Chapter Eleven _The Confrontation_

"I'd like to go see Manny in the hospital," I blurted out. "Can I get Philipe to

drive me? I don't need to go until after Lula and Tank leave for the airport, but I'd like to see him."

"Of course Babe. Ella called earlier and she's driving out, she has some papers for me that were sent to Rangeman. Maybe you can get a ride to the hospital with her, then either Sybo or Hal can drive you back when their shift ends-I know them and they are probably too wired to sleep after the takedown and both like to drive to relieve stress. I'm sure they'd be happy to take you, and they are both so nosy, I bet they'd like to see the house too."

We turned around to see Lula standing in the doorway. "What'd I miss? Is Manny ok, did we find him?"

After filling Lula in on everything that just happened I went to take a shower, Carlos and Tank were going to start on breakfast and I didn't know Lula's plan. Shower too, probably.

The idea was to reconvene back in the kitchen in a half an hour and I was on schedule...all scrubbed, buffed and gelled, ready to see what kind of breakfast the guys put together. If all I got was fruit and yogurt, I'd have to go out for donuts, but something smelled really good as I approached the breakfast area. I saw Tank with a crepe pan and Carlos pouring batter into it. There were a number of perfectly rolled crepes sitting on plates off to the side and Lula was putting something into one that Tank had just dropped on a plate in front of her, and beginning to roll it up. A perfect crepe assembly line, wished I had my camera.

"Hey girlfriend, look what Batman and Tankie are making? I just got here and they put me to work. There are apple, sugar and cinnamon ones on that plate and these are the savory ones, according to Batman...asparagus and gruyere. If you want to cut up those bananas, Batman just made some kind of brown sugar syrupy thing here to go with them. Batman did the batters, but Tank is our crepe chef," she said with a very pleased expression on her face.

I really couldn't believe what I was seeing, Carlos and Tank making crepes? I kind of assumed Carlos would be able to find his way around a kitchen, he does everything well, but crepes? And Tank? I never expected such a big lug of a man to be able to make dainty little crepes. Something was definitely wrong with this picture.

Just as I was musing to myself about the men's many talents, a buzzer buzzed somewhere. Carlos broke my train of thought, "That's the gate, that must be Ella," then he went over to a pad on the wall and typed something to buzz her in.

"Oh good," said Lula, "someone else to judge Tankie's and Batman's culinary talents."

"You think I can't cook?" Carlos glared at her, "I guarantee you'll be moaning in delight when you taste these."

The front door buzzed then, breaking their debate. Carlos went over to the pad on the wall and typed something in again. A few moments later, I heard Ella's voice calling out hello.

"It smells really good in here, what are you making?" Ella asked, coming into the kitchen. "Something apple-y, I can make out."

Lula cut her off, "Batman and Tankie here decided we needed crepes for breakfast. Batman seems to think we'll be moaning when we taste his creations. We were just about ready to try some out, if we cut them into five pieces we can all try them at the same time and compare. Here, I have a knife."

With that Lula cut one apple and one savory crepe into five pieces and put them onto the center island for us to try. Everyone came over with their plates and forks, Carlos took out another setting for Ella and we all gave them a try.

"Oh my God," I moaned and everyone turned to look at me, "this is fabulous, Carlos where did you learn to make this?"

Carlos was beaming, the 200-watt smile plastered all over his face, "Glad I exceed expectations, Babe."

Even Ella who's fabulous in the kitchen was nodding and smiling. Then we all moved on to his savory creation.

"Oh, Batman!" I let out in a moaning voice that sounded a lot like sex, and everyone turned to look at me again. "This is the real deal, there's no fake cardboard-y, cheese-alternative thing here. Everyone, taste this!"

"Carlos, these are really, really good," I tried again, hoping he'd get that I really liked them.

"Happy to please," was his response as he took over the crepe pan from Tank to pour in more batter and put another on the stove.

Twenty minutes later we were all happy and stuffed. I leaned in to Carlos and put my arm around him as he started to put some dishes into the dishwasher, "Batman, you can make those for me any day. I didn't know you were so talented."

"You have yet to see the extent of my talents," he wolf-grinned in reply and I felt my face turn pink thinking about our conversation last night. "Are we talking about the anatomy lesson?" I whispered in his ear.

"Mmmm, Babe."

Ella pulled a stack of mail and papers from her bag, "One of these looks like a wedding invitation," she said as she handed the pile to Carlos.

"Oh no, I bet I know what this is...my niece's Quinceañera party," he mumbled as he took the thick envelope from Ella. "Babe, you can change your mind you know, look what you're getting into," he said waving the fat package in my face.

"Ella, want to give Steph the short version?"

"Ok, imagine this: a large group of giggling fifteen year old girls who've just discovered boys, sitting around whispering to one another that 'so and so' is _so_ cute...then giggling about it some more and then dancing with each other and giggling some more. How did I do Ranger?"

"Listen to Ella, Babe. You may want to re-think your decision, it's not too late," he smiled in response to Ella's description.

Lula and Tank had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and came over to see what we were talking about. Tank took a look at the big, fat envelope and with raised eyebrows said, "Bomber, did you promise to go with Ranger?" I nodded yes, and he responded laughing, "Big mistake. Have you met Daria yet?"

OK, so now everyone was giving me a hard time about this stupid party. Sure, I'd like to meet Carlos' family, I've wondered about them for a long time, but if this was going to be the nightmare everyone was joking about, maybe I didn't want to go after all. Maybe Carlos and I could spend that day doing something else, I started to feel all warm and loving and then that thought went south…oh shit...and then the anatomy lesson popped into my head. While Lula was still here I needed to pull her aside. If anyone knew about this stuff, she did.

"Lula, before you and Tank leave, can we talk about something for a few minutes?" I tried to coax her away from Tank.

"Sure, white girl, what's up?"

"Uh, can we go into the other room, this is personal and embarrassing," I whispered.

"Anything for you, you know that." And we walked to the sitting room, leaving the guys and Ella in the kitchen.

"You know how we always joke about how Carlos is sex walking? Well I think he knows stuff, well you know, stuff about down there, that I haven't a clue about."

"Girlfriend, spill it."

"Ok, this is it, he told me he wanted to teach me something I'd never learn in school, some anatomy lesson thing, any idea what he's talking about?"

"Could be more than one. Was he saying, male or female?"

"He said anatomy and he was going to make me very happy."

"Ok, tells me female."

"And?"

"And, girlfriend, you're going to have the time of your life," she said with a huge grin on her face.

"Fuck, Lula, are you going to tell me or what?"

"I could, but you'd like it better if you heard it from Batman, it's more of a show and tell, than a tell. Trust me…trust him," she ended the conversation with the biggest grin I'd ever seen on her face.

That left me nowhere. I mean, now what? I couldn't force Lula to tell me what the two of them seemed to know that I didn't. Was this something I could Google? But then I didn't even know what I was looking for. Maybe I should just let Carlos do his 'show and tell' as Lula put it. Oh God, I just wished this would just go away.

I was still talking to myself, when Carlos came up behind me, put his arms around me and started kissing my hair, "Babe, you seem upset, what's the matter? Tank and Lula have to leave to make their plane, let's say goodbye and then we can talk, ok?"

Talk, yeah, that's never amounted to much. "Hmmm," I replied, obviously unconvinced about the talking thing.

Carlos put his arm around me and led me into the living room where Lula and Tank had just brought in their luggage, ready to pack up their car and leave for the airport.

"We'll see you in a week, girlfriend," Lula pulled me in for a hug and whispered, "Please don't do anything stupid, it'll all work out. Batman is good for you."

I said my goodbyes to Tank too, then realized I had an out for a couple of hours...Ella was still here and could give me a ride.

"Ella," I asked, "I had mentioned to Ranger this morning that I'd like to see Manny in the hospital and he thought you might be going too and would be able to take me?"

"Of course, dear. I want to stop at the office first though. I put together a care package for him...I know how much he hates hospital food and I thought he might like some clean clothes too. It'll just be a quick stop."

"Thank you so much." I mentally sighed in relief, then figured I had to add more to the conversation in case Carlos was within listening distance, "I feel bad that Ranger is stuck here until this blows over, I think he'd like to go to see Manny too. Have you heard any gossip? Do you know what happened?"

"I haven't yet. I left my apartment after I put breakfast out, Manny was being taken to the ER then, so I don't think anyone other that Bobby has had a chance to speak with him. I know Bobby accompanied him to St. Francis, so if we seek him out, either at Rangeman or at St. Francis, that would our best chance to find out anything."

"Are you ready to leave soon?" I asked, hoping there wasn't enough time for this talk Carlos wanted to have.

"While I'm here, I want to change to linens on the beds and do a quick vacuum, I'll be ready in about forty-five minutes." And my stomach dropped, I couldn't avoid Carlos for that long.

Speak of the devil...Carlos came back into the kitchen, just as Ella was heading out to make the beds, "Babe, can I see you for a minute?" I nodded yes. "Let's go over to the gym, so we won't be disturbed by the vacuum cleaner. We can let Ella know we're there, there's an intercom in just about every room."

Not getting out of this one, "Ok Batman, lead the way." And I followed him to the door that opens to the catwalk between the two structures. He took my hand as we walked through the enclosed passageway and up the stairs to the gym.

We sat down on the weight bench and he pulled me to him, seating me between his legs, his arms around me and he nuzzled my neck. "Babe, something seems to be bothering you. I want us to have an open and honest relationship. I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me. I'm here for you Babe, for anything."

And he kept nuzzling me and kissing me. When he gets close like that, it's always hard for me to resist his charms.

"I'm nervous about the anatomy thing, Batman. I feel like you know things that I don't and it's my body...and I should know," I blurted out, mixing all my thoughts together and not making a lot of sense.

"Babe, have I ever hurt you?"

I was about to shake my head no when I remembered the first time Carlos and I slept together and that when I mentioned my inability to just have casual sex, he sent me back to Joe. "Well, not physically," I finally got out.

"I was hoping my heartfelt apology would have been enough, but I guess it wasn't. Babe, I am so sorry for any physiological bullshit I pulled on you. I'm a different person now, this Carlos will not hurt you again, not physically or emotionally. Please, you have to believe me." His voice changed as he spoke, and if I didn't know better, it almost sounded like there were tears in his eyes. Batman doesn't cry.

"I believe you Carlos." I paused and thought about what I wanted to say. "Why does this relationship stuff have to be so hard? Joe and I used to just yell at each other and I would walk out. I know that was immature, but I, I guess it's just hard for me to come out and say what's on my mind."

"You can say anything to me, Babe, no matter how trivial you think it is...anything. I wish there were words to say how much I love you, so that you would know what's going on in my heart...but no one has come up with those words yet. The best I can do is show you...and one of the ways I want to show you is making you pull away from me. Maybe I spoke too soon...maybe we need to take things slower. I never want you to be afraid of me or afraid of anything we have together. Sex is beautiful, and sex with you is the most beautiful thing in the world. I'm going to give you a phrase, I want you to look it up...Tantric Sex, sometimes called Tantra Sex, and sometimes miscalled Tantra Yoga, although this is not yoga. Maybe if you read about some things first, you will be more comfortable." Carlos paused for a few beats to let me take that in, then continued, "When we're together something happens, it's powerful and all-consuming..." I nod in agreement, and Carlos continued. "Imagine if you could harness that force and magnify it, bring it to a pinnacle and then let it explode..." and his voice trailed off as if he were thinking about how to explain something.

"How do you know about this Carlos?" I asked, maybe not 100% wanting to know.

"When you've experienced the hell that Tank, Santos, Brown and myself have, you want to do things, see things that will make you experience the heaven. We spent time in the Middle East, a lot of time and with a lot of time on your hands you learn things, you read things, you do things. I know this might sound a little cryptic...but Babe, please look up what I mentioned and we'll continue this conversation. I think it's time for you and Ella to leave, I just heard the vacuum turn off." I heard nothing.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Please note: This chapter is unedited, my beta Fredda (Rangegirl1234) was ill and is just catching up, but since I had this written, I wanted to post it.

Things I didn't know, I googled, so if you find obvious errors, they are all mine.

Chapter 12 _The Aftermath_

Carlos picked up the intercom and buzzed once, Ella answered and he told her where we were. It was going to be a long ride into Trenton with everything that was going on in my head. Wonder if we'd pick up a few wifi hotspots on the way so I'd be able to Google while Ella drove. I didn't want to be rude, but I wanted to at least get a mental picture of what Carlos was talking about.

"Stephanie...Babe, when you're in Trenton, can you drop your phone off with Hector? I want him to see if he can figure out who texted that image to you?"

"Yeah, Ok. Ella mentioned that she needed to stop at Rangeman before we head to the hospital, so while she goes to six, I'll stop off at five and look for Hector."

"Ask him to set you up with an iPhone and an iPad too, he can give you the same phone number, but he's created some custom apps that won't work on your phone and I want you to have access to them. He can show you how to run them...it won't take long."

"I think I'd like to stop off at my parents' house for a few minutes too...let them know that I'm ok. The last conversation I had with my mother was disturbing and I want to make sure she's off the Joe thing. Maybe either Hal or Sybo can take me, I feel all out of sorts not having a car."

"Babe, you can take the Mercedes if you'd rather drive yourself."

"Thank you but I'm still a little shaken up about things, not sure I should be driving." And I wanted to be able to Google without getting into an accident.

"Dear, are you ready?" Ella's voice broke my train of thought.

"I'll be right there, two seconds." I called back, as I took Carlos' hands in mine and leaned into him to kiss him goodbye. "I'll be back in a few hours, is there anything you want me to pick up for you?" I asked, looking into his eyes and holding his gaze.

He pulled me to him and kissed me so softly, so tenderly, I thought I might cry. "No Babe, I just want you back in one piece."

"I'll be in the car," I heard Ella call as I leaned in and kissed Carlos back, almost deciding I really didn't need to go.

We were driving along I-195 chatting a bit about this and that when I decided to see if my laptop had an Internet connection. "Excuse me for a second Ella, I promised Carlos I would look something up for him when I had a good connection and it looks like I have one now," a little lie never hurt anyone.

I was almost panicked to see what would come up when I googled Tantric, so I

just held my breath and typed...a number of articles appeared on page one, but most of them were promotions for the rock band. Scrolling down, I found an article, _Tantric Sex for Beginners_, so I opened it. Big mistake...this was definitely not for me. Who would want to breathe and channel during sex, sounds like what you'd do when you were all hot and bothered and couldn't do anything about it. Sounds like a way to shut down your feelings, not build on them. Hmmm, maybe I didn't pick the right article...so I went back and opened another. I started reading, and when I got to the part about a female orgasm lasting for 10-15 minutes I was astounded. Is that even possible? And is this what Carlos wanted me to read?

Ella broke my mindless meanderings when she pulled off the highway to take local streets to Rangeman and spoke. "Dear, we're just about there. If you want to stay in the car, I'll just be a few minutes."

"I actually have to see Hector, but Carlos said it wouldn't take long. Should I meet you back at the car?"

"I'll come to Hector's cube when I'm done, there could be a language problem with you two trying to communicate," she smiled at me.

Oh yeah, Hector and I have had that problem before, I don't speak Spanish and his English isn't the best...so I get why I might need Ella as an interpreter. "Thank you Ella," I smiled back, "you probably heard the 'bang' story." Ella nodded sweetly. "I kind of lost my patience that time, it wasn't Hector's fault, he's really a nice guy." Yeah and I kept telling myself the teardrops meant nothing.

Ella and I went our separate ways, I got off the elevator at five and she continued up to her apartment. I found Hector sitting in the control room and nodded to him...he was watching something on one of the monitors, and looked very involved in it. He gave me the universal 'one minute' finger thing and I sat down on one of the guest chairs, opened my laptop and went back to my google search.

I didn't get very far when I heard Hector address me in his broken Spanglish, "Estef, hablé...I speak to Ranger. He want that I take you phone and give you new." Do Hector and I understand each other or what? I simply handed over my phone and he took me to his cubicle and gave me a brand new iPhone and iPad, still in their boxes, although the boxes had been opened...I assumed to so he could set them up. "I show," he said taking the iPhone from me, opening the box, taking it out and turning it on. "I make custom." and he pointed to an icon on the phone. "You touch, turn on. Alphabetical here." And he pointed to a place to type in a name. "Hit run," and he pointed to a 'run' button, "Wait." And he laughed. We both knew these searches take time to run, a lot of time and I think that was Hector's attempt at humor. He then pointed to the iPad still in my hands and said, "Same."

We had successfully communicated all I needed to know, when Ella came down the hall with a couple of shopping bags. "How did you make out?" she asked coming over. "Good...pointing is the same in all languages. Hector showed me exactly what to do. I do have a question for him though, I want to make sure he programmed my new phone with my old number and I'd love if he could sync up all my old contacts too. Ella started speaking in very fast Spanish to Hector...I couldn't even pick out the few words that I knew. I saw Hector nod his head and answer her with a "Sí." Ella turned to me and said, "he says you're all set up." I didn't 100% trust that my contacts were in my new phone, so I turned it on to check...and sure enough they were all there.

"Thank you Hector," I said, "Gracias."

"De nada."

And just as Ella and I turned to head down to her car, the elevator door opened and Lester came out of it. Because I wasn't expecting him back yet, I ran to him and hugged him hello, "Les, what are you doing here? I thought you were still in Orlando chasing down bad guys."

"I just got back...just dropped my bags in my apartment and came up to see what I could find out about Manny."

"Ella and I were just heading over to St. Francis. Bobby's there and would probably know the latest, want to come with us?"

"Yeah, thank you. Give me two minutes to grab a water and see if I can find something left over from breakfast."

"I just put some sandwiches out, there was nothing left but crumbs." Ella jumped in. "Louis is bringing the rest down in about fifteen minutes, why don't you take one of the ones I just made."

How did she have time to make sandwiches? It never amazes me what that woman can do. "Ella, you're a saint," I said when Lester was out of earshot, "those boys wouldn't know which end is up without you."

"Thank you dear, but it's my job. If Louis didn't volunteer to help me today, I wouldn't be able to go over to see Manny...I think we make a good team. Here comes Les, let's get going."

I got in the back seat so I could resume my search in relative privacy while Ella and Les caught up. She really does love them, it's just so cute to watch how she pampers them all. I opened another Tantric article and this one was more explicit. It had pictures of erect penises and vaginas. I hoped Lester didn't turn around...a penis is a penis, no matter what angle you look at it from. I thought about bookmarking it and coming back to it later...it looked like it would give me some of the show and tell, Lula alluded to. And as I was about to do just that, I looked up to see Lester staring at my screen. "Beautiful, _what_ are you reading?"

"I'd try to explain, but you wouldn't understand. It's not what it looks like."

"Looks like a penis to me," Lester blurted out, and with that Ella glanced around to see what we were both looking at, "Oh dear," I heard her explain.

"Beautiful, you can talk to Uncle Lester," he wolf-grinned me.

"Ok, ok, this is going to sound crazy, but I was just researching something."

"Uncle Lester can help you do some research, you don't have to revert to the internet," he eyebrow-waggled before wolf-grinning again.

Fuck...shit, no matter how you looked at it, I was screwed. Caught red handed...and red-faced too. I knew Les wasn't going to give up until I told him something.

"Ok, here's the thing...this is private and I can't talk to you about it."

"Beautiful, are you telling me you don't know what a penis looks like? I would have assumed...you know, you and the boss man, you and the cop, you and your ex, and may be sometime in the future, you and me..."

"Lester! I stopped him, "in your dreams...now that's enough."

"Oh yes, in my dreams," he went on, and I smacked him in the head.

I was hoping he'd let this go, but sometimes Lester doesn't know when to stop. All of a sudden, he reached back and grabbed my laptop out of my hands. "Tantric? Beautiful, is that what your researching? Why didn't you just ask me?"

Oh shit...and Lester had such a big mouth too, pretty soon all of Rangeman were going to know about my Google search. I was so fucked. Then it hit me, I could lie with the best of them, "Well, if you must know, Grandma Mazur asked me about it. I didn't really know much, so I thought I would look it up." There, got it off me. And that _is_ something Grandma would ask about.

Lester wasn't dropping this, "Beautiful, in a nutshell, Tantric are techniques that you use to intensify pleasure during sex. The old 'testes tug'," and he grinned. "I think it's based on Kundalini; but it isn't yoga, at least not the way you think of yoga. Why don't you ask Ranger, he can tell you more, hell, he can probably show you." And my face turned a very unattractive shade of red.

Thankfully, we were just around the corner from St. Francis and maybe this whole conversation would go away once we found Bobby to get an update on Manny's status. Ella parked in the garage and we got a good spot by the entrance...I guess the Rangeman parking karma extended to Rangewomen too.

We went inside the ER entrance and I spotted Bobby right away, so I led the parade right up to him. "Any news?" I asked more forcefully than I usually would.

"Hey Steph, nice to see you too...what ever happened to 'Hi Bobby, how are you?' You're usually not in this kind of a rush."

"I'm sorry, things have been a little tense with Carlos and Tank's court martial and you know, Florida...then that text thing, and now Manny's kidnapping." Not to mention the fact that Lester just had me flustered beyond belief. "You know I always think about you, Bobby."

"Ok, Bombshell, I'll let it slide this time." There was a long pause while he thought about what to say next. "Manny's got a concussion, a few broken ribs, some assorted cuts and bruises and one pretty big incision in the back of his neck where they ripped out the RFID chip. He's getting a CT scan right now just to be sure there are no other injuries that we can't see. I'm worried about the concussion, he's been in and out of consciousness since we brought him in."

"Has Mariella been in to see him? Does she even know you got him out? I bet she's worried sick," I went on and on.

"Stephanie, calm down. What is with you today? Yes, I called her as soon as the ambulance brought him here. She's in the ER with him, that's why I'm out here, they are only letting one of us in with him at a time."

"But you said he's in radiology now? Can I sneak back and see her?"

"You can try but I don't think they'll let you through the double doors."

"I have ways," I told him as I pushed open the door. And I did.

Right inside, I bumped into Elena Perez. She isn't one of the nurses I went to school with, but I knew her pretty well from getting stitched up so many times.

"Stephanie, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while, keeping out of trouble?" Actually I felt like I'd been in more trouble lately than I had in all the years of almost monthly visits to this place, but I wasn't going to tell her that. "I guess it's all relevant...I'm good, just wanted to check on my friend Manny Ramos. I think he's in radiology now, but his girlfriend is back there. Ok if I go in?"

"Sure, he's in 3-A, go right on back." I mentally stuck my tongue out at Bobby. Didn't think I'd get in here, did you?

I walked back and saw Mariella slumped in a chair with her hands over her face. I didn't know her all that well, but we'd met a couple of times so I felt ok just walking in. "Hi Mariella."

"Oh hi, Stephanie. How are you?"

"I'm ok, how's Manny? Bobby filled me in and said that they just sent him for a CT scan. Have you had a chance to talk to him?"

She slowly shook her head no. "I know he knew it was me, I could see the recognition in his face, but he hasn't said a word since I got here. I'm worried."

Manny isn't exactly Les when it comes to loquaciousness, but he's not a quiet kind of guy either. I hoped he didn't have a brain injury, or something else that required surgery.

"Is it ok if I stay with you for a while? I'd really like to see how Manny's doing for myself. Lester and Ella are also here...they're outside. I kind of snuck back, but I'll leave and let them come in once Manny's back in the room. Ranger is pretty upset about this too, but you do know why he can't be here, don't you?" Mariella just nodded. I hoped this wasn't going to be too awkward.

Just as I was going over in my head what else I could talk to Mariella about, an orderly brought Manny back into the room. He was awake, but he didn't seem very alert, in fact he looked a little glazed-over. I saw his eyes track to me, so I knew he saw I was in the room, and once the orderly had him back in the bed, I went over and touched his hand.

"Hey, Manny, we've got to stop meeting like this," I tried to joke, referring to the time he was shot and I pretended to be his wife to get in to the ER to see him. Normally he would laugh, but he just sat there looking straight ahead. Damn, this really didn't look good.

"Manny, Lester and Ella are here too, I'm going to take Mariella's pass outside and give it to one of them so we can all say hello. I'm staying at the shore, but I'll try to come back to see you tomorrow, ok?" Manny barely nodded, but I knew he heard me. I squeezed his hand again and bent down to get the pass that Mariella had dropped on the floor with her jacket, kissed her goodbye and walked out.

I guess I looked pretty upset when I came through the doors, because I heard Ella drawn in her breath and purse her lips...a little nervous thing I'd seen her do before when she didn't know what to say.

"Manny's in his room. He's awake, but I've got to warn you, I think he's got a pretty bad concussion, he seems a little out of it." A little? "Someone take this pass, he's in 3-A, I told him we were all here." Ella looked at Lester, who nodded that she should go next. She picked up her shopping bags, took the pass from me and went through the double doors.

"Ok Bobby, give," I said once Ella was out of hearing distance, "what aren't you telling us? Manny's in bad shape."

"We don't know anything at this point. He may have some swelling that's affecting the speech area of his brain, the CT should tell us more. But I do see his eyes tracking and I think that's a good sign. I should be able to get access to his reports but I doubt that scan's been read yet. Well just have to wait."

I was afraid if there was too long a pause Lester might bring up my search again, so I tried to extend the conversation, "Do you think we need to bring in a specialist? Or maybe get him transferred to another hospital that deals with head injuries?"

"I called in the best neurologist I could find, and this the top hospital in the area...I don't think it's a good idea to move him now. The doctor is scheduled to see him this afternoon," Bobby replied. "I'll be here when he arrives, so we should know his assessment pretty much right away."

Bobby's phone vibrated in his pocket just then, and he stepped aside to take the call. I saw him nodding in agreement, then shaking his head violently. Wonder who he was talking to that had him at such odds. I hoped it wasn't Carlos. And as I was musing to myself about who Bobby could be talking to I saw Ella coming back through the double doors, looking very worried.

Lester walked up to her and put his arm around her. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could tell he was trying to comfort her. They sat down in two of the row of chairs that were set out for visitors and continued their conversation. I didn't want to interrupt, but I was wondering if maybe a doctor came in while Ella was with him and maybe she knows something we didn't yet. I guess I have my grandmother's genes when it comes to things like that...the nosy gene and the impatient gene.

I didn't have to wait long though, I saw Ella give Lester her pass and he went through the double doors to Manny. Taking my cue, I walked over and took the seat that Lester just vacated. "Did you learn anything?" I asked her. She shook her head no, then looked at me and took my arm, "Stephanie, I'm not a doctor but something seems seriously wrong to me. Manny barely acknowledged that I was there...and we have always been friendly."

"Bobby just told me that he's bringing in a neurologist to see him this afternoon so we should get a better idea about a prognosis after that. Seeing him like this is very disturbing...I told him I'd try to come back tomorrow but it's going to be hard. Though I do know that if the situation were reversed, he'd come to see me, no matter what."

"Maybe Carlos can take you tomorrow, has he heard anything further from McHugh?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for him to be anywhere near Trenton, the Feds are still looking to arrest him. As long as he's at the Pardo house he's safe, they can't find him. Even if he goes out as Victor Colón, he's putting himself at risk. I would never ask him to do that, I can take the Mercedes."

"Just so you know, when Hal sets up an identity, it's iron clad. Victor Colón lives and breathes as Victor Colón, they could never trace him to Carlos. The Victor Colón on his passport, drivers license, credit cards, even the man who owns the house in Scarsdale looks like Carlos, but is Victor. Did you see his passport picture, I don't know how Hal did it, but it looks like the Victor that Carlos turned himself into...perfectly cut hair, black framed glasses, the drivers license picture too. The only way they'd be able to tell would be by fingerprints and Carlos would never allow them to get close enough to do that."

"So what about Marc Pardo? Does Carlos have all the documentation to be Marc Pardo too? And then who am I? Am I Stephanie Plum, Mrs. Pardo, or Jennifer Colón?"

"I believe he does, I think the house on the shore was purchased by Marc and Samantha Pardo. I'm sure there is documentation for you too."

"How would Hal know to do that, Carlos and I weren't together when the house was bought last summer?"

"You'll have to ask Carlos that, I'm not sure. I just know I saw a deed on the house made out to Marc and Samantha Pardo."

Was I in Carlos' plans all along? Or could any woman have been plugged in as Samantha Pardo? I know he told me the night of the mojito topic that he's cared about me for a very long time and the last couple of days he's told me over and over that he loves me. And I know he loves me, I really can feel it. And I love him too, so what am I so confused about?

I was going over all of this in my mind when I realized Ella was still talking to me.

"Please don't be angry with Carlos dear, you know he's a bit eccentric. He sometimes does things without thinking about the repercussions. I know he cares very much for you. And I know he wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt you."

"I'm sorry, Ella, this is all so new to me, I'm having a hard time processing all I'm hearing. Just a few days ago he told me for the first time that he loves me, then he told me he would like it if I moved in with him, both at the beach house and at Haywood, and that he wants to spend his life with me. How would you feel?" I stopped talking for a second to collect the rest of my thoughts. "Of course I love him too, I realized I did the day he was shot trying to save me and Julie. If anything had happened to him, I don't know what I would have done." I couldn't stop babbling and then the tears started rolling down my cheek. I was making a fool out of myself in front of Ella. Oh God, I must be PMSing.

"It's ok dear, let it out," I heard her say as she rummaged through her bag for the tissue that she put into my hands.

"I'm sorry Ella," I said again, and turned to see Bobby looking at me intently too.

"Steph are you ok?" he said, coming over to us then sitting down on the other side of me.

I just shook my head no, and blew my nose into the tissue before continuing, "I'm sorry Bobby, I'm just a little overwhelmed, not only has all this shit been happening, but on top of it Ranger's been telling me some pretty heavy..."

"So he finally got his head out of his ass?" Bobby interrupted.

I nodded to Bobby and realized I had confessed, not just to Ella, but to Bobby too.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

My Beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) is back, this should read much smoother

JE owns the characters, I'mjust taking them for a test drive.

Extra special thanks to Fredda for all her hard work.

A little smut in this chapter.

Chapter 13 _J__oe, the Rings and the Lesson_

I blew my nose again and tried to clean up the mascara mess the best I could without the aid of a mirror when I noticed Les coming through the doors of the ER. He walked over to us, took a look at me but thankfully didn't make one of his snide comments, and addressed us all instead. "I hope that neurologist finds something fixable or I'm going to kill Pearce. I was hoping Manny would be able to tell us what happened but it doesn't look like he's going to be able to tell us anything for a while. Who's holding Pearce and that other asshole? Are they at Rangeman or did we turn them over to the cops?"

"We have them in a holding cell. Ranger wanted us to keep this from TPD for another day or two…and you're not killing anyone Santos, do you hear me? Cal, Ram and Zero did a pretty good job of beating the shit out of them when they took them out of the warehouse. Let's let justice be served this time around, ok?"

I could tell Lester was pissed. He was clenching and unclenching his right fist like he wanted to punch someone as he turned and walked away from us. It was Ella who broke the tension. "Stephanie, Lester, I have to head back to the office. If you want a ride, you're welcome to come along."

"I'll come with you…Hal and Sybo should be off duty now and Ranger thought

I might be able to get a ride back to Belmar with one of them. Actually I was hoping to stop off at my mother's too…I need to clear the air about a couple of things."

"I can drop you at your mother's. It's on the way to Rangeman. Maybe Hal or Sybo can pick you up there. I think between the two of them I'd opt for Hal and he knows where your parents live."

I thought that was a good suggestion, so I dug my new iPhone out of my bag and called Hal. He picked up on the first ring and answered with my name, so I guessed I was on his contact list.

"Hey, I have a favor to ask...Yes, how did you know?" I paused as I listened to Hal. "You'd be able to? That's so sweet, thank you so much. I was wondering if you would be able to pick me up at my mother's in maybe forty-five minutes?" "Thank you. I really appreciate you going out of your way for me. My mother probably made a cake. If you want to come in, I bet she'd love to feed you." "Thanks. See you in a bit." I knew the cake would be the clincher. Hal likes his sweets as much as I do.

Ella and I had made our way downstairs and I was putting my phone back into my bag as we got in her car and pulled out of the garage. It was just Ella and I as Lester decided to hitch a ride back with Bobby later. "Dear," Ella broke the silence. "I just want you to know how happy I am about you and Carlos. And if you do decide to move in, we'd be so happy to have you; sometimes it feels like there's just too much testosterone in that building."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. A few days ago, if someone had told me that this was in my future, I would have laughed at them."

We made our way through the streets of Trenton. As Ella pulled over to drop me off, I noticed my mother and grandmother at the front door with Joe. It was too late to bolt since they saw me in the car. And I figured I was going to bump into Joe sooner or later, so I might as well hold my head high and get this over with. I kissed Ella goodbye, thanked her for everything and walked up the walk to seal my fate. "Grandma, Mom," I said as I walked through the door, then turned to face Joe. "Joe, what brings you here?" He took my hand as he gave me a peck on the cheek, felt the rings on my finger and turned my hand over to look at them. Shit, this was Hawaii all over again.

Joe looked from the rings to my face. "Cupcake?" he questioned.

"I've been doing a job in Florida with Ranger. I just got back. We're still undercover, but I wanted to stop by to say hello. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Your mother invited me over. She made a pineapple upside down cake and asked me if I'd like a piece to take home," Joe lifted up the aluminum foil tent in his hand to show me.

I could feel myself getting all flustered. My mother was doing it again. I wish she'd just stop meddling in my life. "Mom? Can I see you inside?" I turned to Joe, acknowledged him cooly, and then stomped into the kitchen to sit down.

My mother followed a few steps behind me, and grandma a few steps behind her.

"Mom, I thought we had this conversation a couple of days ago. Joe and I are over. I don't want you trying to patch it up. If you must know, he was screwing Terri Gilman while we were together. And everyone knew but me…I…I was so naïve…I can't even talk about it."

"Stephanie, men have needs. And if you weren't taking care of them, maybe he had to find someone who would."

"I'm not going to talk about my sex life mom, but if he had any more _needs_ after some of our nights, something is seriously wrong with him."

"What are you going to do? You're 33 years old. How are you going to find a husband? I think you and Joe should just bury the hatchet."

I made a sound of disagreement and thought to myself that I'd like to bury something else. "I stopped by to make sure you understood that Joe and I aren't getting back together and then I find him in our doorway. Plus I find you giving him cake to take home! I really wish you'd respect my choices and not go behind my back to try to fix things that can't be fixed."

Grandma jumped in at this point, seeing we were seconds away from blows. "What about that bounty hunter with the package- is he still available?" The doorbell chimed when she spoke, taking me out of my thoughts about Carlos' package.

Grandma opened the door to Hal and I heard her exclaim. "Helen! Look, another one of Stephanie's friends. Oh you are a cute one," she said directly to Hal's now-changing-to-red face. "Come in, we made a nice cake. I'll put some coffee on."

Hal spoke before Grandma could usher him inside. "Thank you ma'am, but I came to pick up Stephanie. Something's come up and Ranger needs her help." He looked at me and saw my expression change. "But we could take a couple of pieces to go, if that's ok.'" He smiled at my mother, who nodded and quickly went back into the kitchen to make a care package for us.

I picked up my bag from the chair where I left it and checked my phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Carlos. "Babe, your GPS says you're at your parents. Hal's on his way. Cal got Pearce's buddy to talk…I guess he didn't like having his balls squeezed. I think you need to hear what he had to say."

"Hal, do you know what Carlos is talking about?" I replayed the message and put the phone to Hal's ear.

"I know about the meeting at the house in Belmar. A few of us will be there in person but I don't know anything else."

I got my phone back from Hal and called Carlos… it went right to voicemail. I looked over at Hal who shrugged and nodded his head toward the door. I took the peace offering my mother handed to me in aluminum foil and we were on our way. "Mom, Grandma, I gotta go. I'll be over during the week."

Traffic was light and Hal drove fast, so we made it to the shore in record time, eating the cake with our fingers on the way. Carlos promised me a fob of my own, but since he hadn't gotten around to it yet we had to wait to be buzzed in at the gate. Thankfully, this provided just enough time to dispose of the evidence of the contraband cake. I crumpled the aluminum foil into a ball and shoved it into my bag. Turning into the driveway, I noticed a few cars parked in front of the house. All were black, new and shiny, so I assumed they were part of the Rangeman contingency.

I rang the bell and Carlos answered. Oblivious to Hal at my side, he wrapped his arms around me, pulled me to him and kissed me. "Mmmm, Babe. I missed you today," he whispered in my ear. It was a really good kiss–tongue and all–so I gathered our relationship was no longer a secret. When we broke apart, I looked over at Hal who was at least seven shades redder than he was seconds before. Poor Hal.

Carlos ushered us inside and closed the door. I saw Cal and Ram in the living room and I heard talking from the kitchen, so I gathered there were at least five Merry Men plus Carlos present. I really wondered what this was about.

"Babe, we got some information out of Pascual Esposito today. He's the guy who was taken down with Pearce. I've set up a meeting so we can evaluate what he told us, take some precautions and figure out our next steps. Come with me to the office for a few minutes, I want to bring you up to speed." Carlos grabbed my hand and led me out of room we were in and I followed Carlos to his man cave.

"More than anything I'd like to tell you everything is ok, but it's not." He said, turning me to face him as he perched on the desk to talk. "If we can believe Esposito, which I think we can because Cal was very persuasive, Pearce, Garcia and their cohorts have waged a war against Rangeman. Specifically, Tank, myself and our 'bitches' as Esposito put it. They somehow found out about the court martial against us, and about the million dollar bounty on each of our heads. They will stop at nothing to get it. We have Pearce in one of our holding cells, but Garcia is on the street. We think he is the one who texted you the image, so he has already put two and two together about us and the Colóns. If I'm right and he has, then that information is now common knowledge."

"So what does that mean? Obviously we can't continue in our role as the Colóns. Are we even safe at the Pardo house? Carlos, what about Tank and Lula? Do you think Garcia knows where they are?"

"Tank is on our call at 4, but he already knows what's going on. They are staying at a Rangeman property on Turks and Caicos, so they should be safe there. Like here, all glass is bullet-proof and the security system is impenetrable. We're safe as long as we stay put. I also wanted to bring you up to speed on Manny's condition. What he has is a Grade III MTBI. In layman's terms that's a mild traumatic brain injury, but a grade three is the most serious. He's suffering from what people in the boxing industry call 'punch drunk' syndrome. That's what's causing his speech and memory problems. The doctor is pretty positive that all his symptoms will reverse themselves within a week or two. We are very lucky that he doesn't need surgery."

"Oh thank God. I was so worried when I saw him. I'm glad it's nothing permanent. Has Mariella been brought up to speed? She really wasn't looking too good and I'm worried for her."

"I'd like to get her into a safe house too. I don't like that Garcia and Pearce are planning to target our women. I'd also like to keep Ella out of harm's way. She can have groceries delivered until we take Garcia down."

"Mariella seems like a pretty independent person. I don't think she's going to go for the safe house thing. But if you feel strongly about getting her out of Trenton, maybe she and Manny can stay in the apartment here next to the gym? Do we know when Manny is getting out? Is our garage bullet-proof too?"

"Good idea Babe, I didn't think of that. My hope is that they let Manny out mid-week. His neurologist wants to make sure he's improving before they release him and Bobby can always do the follow up. And in answer to your second question, yes the garage is also bullet proof. With all that expanse of glass surrounding the gym, I wasn't going to take a chance. I'm just hoping this will blow over quickly. I didn't think the court martial would still be in effect, but as soon as that's null and void, there will be less of an impetus for Garcia and Pearce to try to get to us."

"How long do you think we'll have to be holed up here?"

"If you're worried about Rex, take a look in the kitchen. He's been thriving under Bobby's care, but Cal thought you should see for yourself and brought him here."

"Oh, Cal!" I said maybe a little more flirtily than I meant to, because I looked up to see Carlos had put on one of his blank faces.

"Don't worry Carlos, I'm a one man kind of woman, and you're my man."

"Babe, I'm looking forward to some time alone with you later. I think its time for me to ruin you." He wolf-grinned at me.

Oh shit.

"Come on, Babe, let's go back out and get ready for our four o'clock."

Carlos led the way out of his office and I noticed that everyone was congregated in the sitting room with the large plasma TV on. I guessed it was going to be a show and tell kind of meeting. In attendance were Cal and Ram, who I noticed earlier. Also, Zero, Vince, Hal and the Rangeman lawyer Devon Patterson were here. Devon and I had met briefly once before when Ranger was signing a business deal, but were never formally introduced.

"Babe, I think you know everyone except Devon. Devon, this is Stephanie Plum. Steph, Devon Patterson." I presented my best smile and my burg manners, and we shook hands to seal the deal.

Carlos continued, "We have Tank and Lula on speaker from Turks and Caicos, and Lester, Bobby and most of the crew back at Rangeman are also on speaker. I thought it would be easier to address everyone at once. Tank, chime in whenever you see fit. Just so you know, Devon Patterson, Cal, Ram, Vince, Hal and Zero are here with Stephanie and myself at the Pardo house. I think everyone who needs to be here is here, so let's get started."

With introductions out of the way, Carlos took everyone through what he had just spent the last few minutes telling me, but expanded upon the details. As he spoke about the bad guys, their pictures were displayed on the flat screen monitor so we would have a visual reference. When he was taking us through the assorted low life's associated with Garcia and Pearce, I saw a familiar face and let out a stifled yelp. Everyone turned and looked at me. "I'm sorry, I know him," I said. "Lester, Lula, Ram and myself took him in last week. He was one of my FTA's, Mickey Kraven."

"Yes, that's right, Michael Patrick Kraven. Born June 4th, 1981. He'll be 31 years old in a few months and already has a rap sheet as long as my arm," Carlos continued. "He makes his living collecting and selling antique torture devices. If you want an iron maiden, a cradle, or a pear, he's your man. These devises sound tame enough but if you ever checked out their intentions, you'd lose your lunch. Unfortunately, these items are in demand and the man makes a small fortune. I'm surprised Vinnie gave him to you and Lula. He is not a nice guy."

I heard Lester's voice from the other end of the spider phone. "I'm sure he's been bonded out by now, but I think we should search his house. When we caught up with him he was swinging a flail at Stephanie."

Carlos looked over to me for confirmation. "Babe?"

I just nodded my head. I'd rather forget about that day, thank you very much.

This pretty much concluded the meeting. Rangeman had more work to do to locate some of the Garcia/Pearce devotees and I offered to help. I'd rather do something than sit around and do nothing, and if we were going to be held captive here, I figured I might as well put my skills to work.

But I stood to go get started but realized that my searches were going to have to be put on hold for a while because at that moment my stomach decided to make itself known. I wondered what we were going to do about dinner. Were the Merry Men staying? Was someone going to offer to cook, or were we going to order in?

I was busy thinking about something to squelch my hunger pangs when Carlos put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. "I smell wood burning, Babe."

He was being awfully affectionate in front of the men and his lawyer, and for the second time in just a number of hours, I wondered about that.

"Food. I'm going to need to get something to eat pretty soon, Carlos." And my stomach grumbled again in agreement.

"Vince brought over some groceries. I saw him in the kitchen earlier, so there's probably something in the oven. Devon, you're welcome to stay. I know you have three little children at home, maybe you'd like a quiet meal for a change?"

"Thanks Carlos, but I really need to get going. Jessica needs a break from them too and I was planning on taking her out tonight. I'm never one to waste a babysitter."

We said our goodbyes to Devon and I followed my nose to the kitchen to see what Vince was making and if there was something I could pilfer right now. I walked in to find Vince feeding Rex a baby carrot. "Don't want to interrupt the male bonding," I said to Vince, "but what's for dinner?"

"There's a couple of lasagnas in the oven and I'm finishing up a salad. I got fresh bread and there's cheese in the refrigerator if you want a snack."

Oh yeah, did I want a snack. I tore off the heel of the loaf of fresh bread and took a bite while I opened the refrigerator to see what kind of cheese Vince brought. This man must have seriously made a dent in Giovichinni's cheese department because there was a fresh asiago, mozzarella, provolone and fontina, all wrapped in white deli paper and each clearly labeled with black crayon. It's a good thing they were labeled...to me cheese is cheese.

I took a hunk of the fontina and put it on the bread and couldn't believe the taste! Oh God this was heaven! I guess I moaned because Vince turned around and looked at me funny.

We had a half an hour before dinner would be ready, and since I'm useless in the kitchen and the table was already set, I went to look for Carlos. I found him giving the guys a tour of the house, so I joined the circuit. They had just opened the double doors that led out to the deck and pool when Carlos' phone rang and he went back inside to take the call. Guess that left me as the tour guide. I smiled and quickly turned us around and led the parade through the house to the gym. I knew I made the right choice when I heard all the oohs and ahs coming from the guys. Who knew a few thousand pounds of metal could turn merry men into drooling fools.

They were still checking out the equipment when a voice came over the intercom and startled me. It was only Carlos calling us to dinner, but it still took me by surprise. I guess if I were to think about it long enough, this whole week took me by surprise.

Dinner rocked but I bet Carlos wasn't too happy to find sausage in the lasagna. I think that's another's of his no-no's, although I saw him eating anyway. Hmmm, the Merry Men don't always play by his rules...good to know. We cleaned up and everyone left but Cal and Ram, obviously on guard duty and staying the night in the apartment.

Finally Carlos and I were alone. He pulled me to him, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me...his tongue searched my mouth and found mine waiting in reply. "Mmmm, Babe, I've been wanting this all day," he said as he kissed me again. "Let me love you, Babe." And he picked me up, carried me to the bedroom and lay me down on the bed. He just stood there looking at me for a beat. "Babe you are so beautiful. Dios what you do to me!" With that, he took my hand and brought it to the zipper of his cargos so I could feel for myself. "Mmmm, Dios."

I slowly slid my hand over the bulge in his cargos and purred. "Oh God, Carlos. I want you so bad." I took the hand that was still in mine and pulled him down to me. I unzipped my jeans and put his hand in my thong to feel my wetness.

"Babe," he replied, "I want to take you places, do you want to come with me?"

"Tantric?"

"Sí…un poquito"

"I'm a little nervous, but I'll follow your lead."

"There's no lead to follow, Babe. There's you and there's me and there's the place where we meet. Do you trust me, Babe?"

"With my whole being...my heart...my soul...of course I trust you Carlos."

"This is just about doing things we would normally do, but with a heightened sense of consciousness." As Carlos was talking to me he took both of my hands in his and looked into my eyes.

"Babe, lets go into the hot tub together, the warm water will relax you." He took me by the hand and led me to the cabana that was attached to the pool and hot tub. I saw Turkish robes hanging on a towel warmer, so I had no problem shedding my clothes in the cold air to dip into the warm water. Carlos turned on the jets and moved me in front of one. The hot water felt good against my back and thighs. I felt Carlos move against me, both of us naked in the warm water, and he started to massage me. He moved his hands along my body, relaxing me against the warm jets. He lowered his hands to my calves, massaging them firm enough to relax yet somehow still gentle. All the while he was keeping eye contact with me. He began tracing small circles on my legs, slowly moving up around my knees. He concentrated his touch on the area behind my knees and I felt my body puddle. He continued touching me in the same circular pattern, moving to my thighs, to my abdomen, kissing my body as he moved upward.

I wanted intimate contact and tried to bring his body to mine, but he moved back and spoke very softly to me. "Babe, trust me. I will make you very happy, just move with me." I let myself go and did as he said. I almost fell asleep in the warm womb of the tub, so when Carlos carefully lifted me out of the water, placed the warm robe around me and carried me back to the bedroom, I was as relaxed as I could be. My body was buzzing from the warmth of the tub and his hands on me, and I again tried to reach for his erect cock.

"No Babe, not yet. I want to explain some things first." He moved closer to me on the bed so that our bodies were touching. "I know you think your clitoris is your pleasure center, and I know you love being touched there, but let me show you what your body can do."

Carlos put his fingers into his mouth to wet them and slowly touched my vagina. My own body responded with a rush of liquid. Carlos put two fingers into me and moved them upward towards my belly button on the inside. I moaned as he brushed the area gently with his fingertips and closed my eyes as he began to work my body.

Just as things were starting to really feel good, Carlos bent down to my ear to speak. "Babe, this is your sexual core. Let me put your fingers inside so you can feel what it feels like." My face reddened from the frank way he was talking about our lovemaking, but I allowed him to lead me. He took his fingers out and put my middle finger to the area he was talking about. "Feel the small ridged area here? This is your G-spot...your pleasure center. If I keep tapping this area with my finger and rub your clitoris at the same time, you will experience an unbelievable orgasm. But if I can get you to the same place with my dick, it will be beautiful for both of us. One of the best positions for this is for you to be on top, but instead of face-to-face, turn around so your back is to me. The natural angle of my dick will hit that spot as you move down on me. You'll be in control, so drive carefully, Babe."

And he chuckled. I guessed Carlos had a sense of humor after all.

"I want to tell you a few more things," Carlos continued, lightly massaging the place between my vagina and my ass. "Underneath here is one of the most powerful muscles in the human body, the PC muscle. It's the muscle you use to stop the flow of urine but it's also the muscle you tighten when you contract your vagina around me. Next to this muscle is the skenes gland. Sometimes people call it the female prostate gland." I blushed again and giggled slightly. Carlos was undeterred and continued to educate me about my own body. How was it that he knew my body better than I knew it myself? Carlos leaned down to kiss me gently and break me from my thoughts. "Babe, if you stimulate this gland during sex you can greatly enhance the sexual experience.

"The easiest way to do this is to press down here." Carlos pressed a point on me that resulted in really nice sensations. He continued, "but I can get closer to it if I put my finger in your ass. The skin is really thin there and I can put direct pressure on the gland. I know you keep telling me you aren't into butt stuff, but that's probably because no one has taken the time to get you relaxed or properly lubricated. Of course, I would never do anything you aren't comfortable with, I just wanted to spell it all out for you."

The whole time Carlos was talking to me, he was touching me and running small circles over my body. Even though this sounded like an anatomy lesson, I had never been so fucking turned on in my life!

I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath. "Oh God, Carlos. I just want to have sex and now you're giving me options?"

"Babe," he kissed me, "there are many other things I want to teach you, but they can wait."

And he kissed me again, with a lot of tongue and that ever-present gentle touch. I was still very aroused from earlier and pushed against Carlos, hoping for release or penetration. Ever the gentleman, Carlos pulled back and questioned me. "Babe, are you sure? I don't want to push you into anything."

"Mmmm," I couldn't even get words out.

Carlos laid back on the bed and pulled me to him, my back to his front, so I felt his erect penis on my ass. "Straddle me Babe, take control." And I did.

I inhaled sharply as I slowly felt him penetrate me. I took a moment to adjust to his size. From this position I could feel his dick press against my G-spot as I moved down on him. It was very pleasurable and I was enjoying the sensations when I heard Carlos whisper, "Babe contract your PC muscles as you come down," so I tried it on my next thrust. Carlos had reached in front and was gently massaging my clitoris. I felt him take some of my wetness and spread it back to my ass and begin to massage the area. I started to feel engulfed by the different sensations I was feeling. I was getting swept away from all of the stimulation and was having a hard time remembering why I had originally been so against this in the first place. But instead of being overwhelmed I felt open to the sensations I was feeling. I felt my sphincter muscle open up to suck his finger in, and it felt like I was being stimulated in the same place from the front and the back. It was so very, very pleasurable and then… "Oh God!" I felt the waves of orgasm begin and then they magnified. As I continued to ride him the waves just kept getting stronger and stronger. I had never had an orgasm like this before and it wasn't backing off or ending. I actually felt like I might pass out from pleasure. "Carlos," I cried as another wave engulfed me, "God!"

I didn't feel overly stimulated like I normally do from a number of close together orgasms, and I could feel the pleasure begin to escalate again. I had one of my hands under Carlos, massaging his balls. I could feel them tighten and I knew he was going to release into me. And Oh God, I was still coming.

A little while later, after our blood pressure finally came down enough to speak the English language, I looked into Carlos' eyes and he looked back into mine. "There are no words to describe that. I'm still...whatever it is I'm doing."

He pulled me to him, kissed me and I could feel him hard against me. This time we made love facing each other and we both came multiple times. I didn't understand how he could keep having orgasms and still keep an erection, but I assumed it was one of the things he had yet to teach me.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

My Beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) is back, this should read much smoother

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Extra special thanks to Fredda for all her hard work.

Chapter 14 _The deal on the beach_

Ok, so to celebrate my ruination I slept late. When I woke up I was alone in the great big bed with the sun streaming through the window, casting shadows on my face. I guess that's what woke me in the first place. I peed and was about to go out to look for Carlos when I remembered that Cal and Ram had stayed in the apartment last night, so I found a robe in the closet and put it on before venturing out. I thought he might be in his office, so I went there first before heading to the kitchen. I figured that was the next most logical place but then, I realized that for Carlos that wouldn't be a logical place after all, so I headed over to the gym.

I heard machines running as I walked up the stairs. I opened the door and then it hit me. Oh my God…man stench! Obviously Carlos' gym needed a better ventilation system for times like this; times when there were three huge guys running full out after obviously beating the shit out of each other and a punching bag. There were pools of sweat on the mats and towels strewn everywhere and I almost gagged from the smell. Carlos saw my reflection in the plate glass window and I finger-waved to him before turning around and going back out for air, and maybe smelling salts. God, we needed to talk about a way to disinfect that room.

As I padded back to the house to make coffee and take a shower, I thought back to the little incident with my mother yesterday. I really hoped she understood that it was over between me and Joe and would stop interfering, but somehow I doubted that. Maybe Carlos and I needed to pay them a visit and she could see for herself how loving and affectionate he is to me.

Oh, but then she'd probably start in with the marriage thing. And does it really matter that he doesn't want to get married again? Do I want to get married? And where did this whole marriage thought come from anyway? Carlos said he was committed and that should be enough, right? God, I had so many preconceived 'Burg notions going through my head about right and wrong and this and that. I felt like I was going to explode so I picked up the phone and called Mary Lou.

The phone rang twice before Mary Lou answered. "Mare, it's Steph." As if she didn't know; we'd only been friends since kindergarten. "I know it's Saturday, and the kids and Lenny are home, but I needed a reality check. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Lenny took the kids to the park, so I'm good for at least an hour. What's up?"

I gave her the abridged version of the last few days, while I made coffee. I finally came up for air, sighed and let Mary Lou think about all I just told her. I poured myself a cup of coffee even though it was still filtering and make a mess all over the counter. In the background I heard her nails tapping on something as she thought.

Finally her voice came back on the line. "Ok, the way I see it is this. Ranger, sorry, Carlos, has cared about you for a long time. He finally made the decision to share this with you…probably knowing you loved him too. Steph, you don't hide things well. I don't think he knew for certain that you and Joe were history and he took a chance. Men like him don't take chances, so he probably was prepared to woo you away from Joe. I remember you telling me he said you and Joe had an unhealthy relationship, so, I think he was ready to use that card again. Anyway, I think he loves you. He told you he wants to spend his life with you, so do you really need to get married? If it were me, I'd just accept his confession. You're living with him right now at the house in Belmar, and it looks to me like you'll be there for at least a few more days, so I think you should be getting a pretty good idea if you're compatible. And then if it feels right, I'd move in with him. It's _your_ life and it really shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks. Your mother will come around if she sees that you're happy."

I was glad that Mary Lou said exactly what I was feeling. I was glad that she didn't see a need for me to get in Carlos' face about the marriage thing. And I was glad to have a best friend like her, who wouldn't lie or sugar coat anything to me.

"Thanks Mare, you really are a good friend. You pretty much said everything that's been going on in my head. There is one other thing…he had a car shipped up from Florida- a 2012 Mercedes CL65 AMG. He told me he wants to give it to me. You know how I am with cars; I just don't know what to do."

"Stephanie, listen to me. If he can afford it, and obviously he can, and he wants to give you presents, you can accept them. Is a car any different than a ring? No, not really. It says he loves you and he wants you to have nice things. What's wrong with that?"

I took a minute to digest all that she had said and quickly decided that she made perfect sense. "Thanks Mare. Uh, Mare, if this really is my house too…like Carlos says, I'd like to have you and Lenny over for dinner. Would you come?"

Mary Lou laughed loudly. I waited while she got ahold of herself, and listened as she asked. "Are you cooking?"

"Uh, I don't think you'd want to eat anything I made. I thought maybe Carlos could cook, or we could get Ella to make a special trip. I'll ask him, but would you come? I'd really like for you to get to know him better."

"Of course we'd come. Lenny's mom can babysit; she loves taking the kids overnight. And that would give Lenny and me some time together too. You don't know how hard it is to have sex without worrying that one of the kids is going to walk in on us."

"You guys could stay over if that's easier; we have plenty of room. Our bedroom is on the whole other side of the house from the others and there's even a separate apartment over the garage if you'd feel more comfortable there."

"You and Carlos talk it over, pick a day and we'll be there, suitcase in hand if you'd like."

"Ok, Mare, thanks again. I'll call you later."

I had just gotten off the phone with Mary Lou when a now showered and shaved Carlos walked through the door. I forgot there were showers in the gym. He looked so sexy with his still damp hair falling in his face…I almost attacked him. I was still thinking about it when I heard Cal's voice come up right behind him. I guess it's a good thing I didn't flash him a boob or something. He walked over, put his arms around me, kissed me good morning and whispered in my ear.

"Mmmm, Babe. I saw you walk into the gym earlier. You could have stayed. We weren't discussing anything private. I have no secrets from you."

"It wasn't that…uh, oh God, how do I put this…when I opened the door to the gym...well...I think you need to think about a more powerful air conditioner or something for that space."

Carlos looked a little bewildered and then he laughed. "Can't take the smell of real men, Babe? I cleaned up in there before we left. I sprayed down the equipment and the mats and left the AC on. I'll go out a little later and check it out. If I have to invest in a better ventilation system, I will. We can't have your olfactory nerves in a uproar, now can we?" And he kissed me. "Let's see what we can have for breakfast? Ram said he would go into town for some fresh bagels. Is that good for you Babe, or do you want something else?"

"Bagels are good, but I want the real kind, ok? Uh, I made coffee, but I had a little mishap, so I don't know how much is there. If you and Cal want to take a cup I can put more on before Ram gets back." I wasn't going to tell him that I was being impatient and made a mess.

"Tank is going to call in at 11. We're going to try to do a twice-daily check-in for now. I ran some searches this morning and emailed the results to Bobby and Tank. Santos wants to take a look at Kraven's house, so there's a couple of guys' doing surveillance on his place and Sybo was able to get a bead on Garcia's whereabouts," Carlos said to me, telling me what they were talking about in the gym.

"Ok. I can be in on that meeting if you want. Like I said yesterday, I want to help. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to set up those searches last night like I promised. I feel bad that you had to get up early to run them."

"It's ok Babe, you needed to sleep." And he nuzzled my neck in front of Cal.

"Carlos, can we take a walk on the beach after the meeting? I have a couple of things on my mind that I want to talk with you about."

"Do you want to talk now? It'll take Ram at least 20 minutes to get there and back. Change and we can go for a walk now."

"Ok, give me five minutes." Then I addressed Cal with one of the things that was on my mind. "Cal, I'm sorry, I hope we're not making you feel uncomfortable. I know you're not used to seeing Ranger and me together like this."

"It's ok, Steph. I've been watching this develop for years. Remember, I've been on monitor duty. I've seen more than just you guys holding hands." He ginned at me. "I'll walk fifty paces behind you; I'm not supposed to let the boss man out of my sight if he goes outdoors. Sorry."

Shit. Not shit about Cal walking with us, but shit that the men really have gotten more than an eyeful. I know just what he saw too. I thought it was Hal that was on duty. I was going over in my head all the times Carlos and I had made out in the garage or in a stairway over the years and I came up with only five instances. Not too bad- could have been worse- when I heard Carlos talking to me.

"Babe, are you going to change? It's cooler out than you think, wear something warm."

"I'm sorry Carlos. I was lost in my mind for a minute. Yes, I'm going to change…two minutes." And I went off to find something to put on and to put my hair into a ponytail.

Carlos was right; it was colder out than I would have expected, but as he took my hand he pulled me close to him and put an arm around me, I didn't feel cold anymore. "Babe, what's the matter? You wanted to talk?"

"Carlos, who am I?" I asked.

He looked at me strangely, like I was losing my mind, and answered, "You're Stephanie Plum."

"Yes, I know that. But who am I now?"

Carlos looked slightly puzzled as he gently pushed a curl of hair behind my ear. "Babe, you're Stephanie Plum…why?"

"Well if _you're_ Marc Pardo and we can't be the Colóns anymore, who am _I_? Ella said I was Samantha, but you never mentioned her to me or anything about Marc and Samantha Pardo. I'm really confused."

"Babe, Marc Pardo is an alias I've been using over the years. We have him set up so tightly he even pays income tax. On paper he's married to Samantha. I believe Hal set up documentation for you to be Samantha Pardo. I'm sure there's a driver's license, passport and social security number set up for a Samantha Pardo who looks an awful lot like you. But you are and always will be Stephanie Plum. Well, maybe one of these days I can convince you to become Stephanie Manoso, but until then you are Stephanie Plum."

"Carlos? Did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Not yet, but someday, yes, I would like that. Right now I want to date you. I want to show you how much I love you. I want to take you places and buy you things."

"You're scaring me Carlos. You seem to have our lives planned out."

"Babe. I've tried to explain hell and heaven to you. When I was in hell, the only thing that kept me sane was thinking about you. You were _my_ heaven. I need you in my life. Here," he pointed back to the house, "this all means nothing if I can't have you to share it with me."

"Carlos, this is just hard for me to understand. You pushed any idea of a future together away for so long. I asked you about relationships and you told me you couldn't do one, that your lifestyle didn't lend itself to one. You screwed with my head, kissing me, holding me, fucking me, only to send me back to Joe. I really don't know what to think anymore."

"Babe," and he pulled me close to him. "If it means marrying you tomorrow, I'll do that, but please don't pull away from me. I love you."

"I love you too Carlos." We stood there kissing on the beach while Cal contemplated the incoming waves. I broke away from him because there was more that I wanted to ask, not because I wasn't enjoying the moment.

"I have a few other things on my mind."

"Ask; I'll answer as best I can."

I pointed to the rings on my finger. "I don't know if I should be wearing these or not. These belong to Jennifer Colón, but if I'm playing the part of Samantha Pardo, should I keep them on?"

"I like them on you...I like that it says to people that you're mine, but if you don't like them, don't wear them. I can buy you other rings if you want – something from me to you. Would you feel better about that?"

I paused to think about what Carlos was saying to me before answering. "Ok, I think this is what I'll do...while I'm here in Belmar at the Pardo house, I can be Samantha and wear them so that when we go out, I'm playing the right role. But when we go back to Trenton, I'm going to leave them off. If you want to buy me things and they come from you to me, of course I'll accept them."

Carlos smiled at my response. "Does that mean you'll accept the CL65 too?"

I thought back to what Mary Lou said. "Yes, I'll accept the Mercedes too, but on one condition. I want to park it at Rangeman. I wouldn't want that car in my apartment building's parking lot where it could be a target for all those seniors with poor eyesight and even poorer driving skills."

"I was hoping that more than your car would move into Rangeman, but this is a start. And have you thought this through yet? How are you going to shuttle back and forth from Rangeman to your apartment if your car is parked at Haywood?"

"I thought I could keep my Escort and just use the Mercedes for special occasions."

"Babe, that Escort is unfit to drive. That's one of the reasons I wanted you to have the Mercedes. You don't have to have an answer now, but just think about it."

An answer to what? Moving in, or the car dilemma? He wasn't specific and I wasn't about to ask. "Carlos, one more question."

"Sure, Babe."

"You keep saying that you want me to be comfortable in the house and that what's yours is mine..."

"Yes Babe, very much so. Is there something you need?"

"Well, I was wondering if it would be ok to invite Mary Lou and Lenny over for dinner, or maybe for a weekend. I would like you and her to get to know each other better. She's my best girl friend and it's important to me that she know you-and that you know her."

"Of course Babe. I told you this place is yours too. And I _would_ like to get to know your friends better. I'd like to get to know Valerie better too."

I made a face at that one. My sister and I still don't see eye-to-eye on everything. "Mary Lou first," I answered.

"Babe, to show you I'm serious about everything I've said, I'd like to have Devon come over and draw up some papers. I want to make us partners, similar to what a marriage would give us. If anything were to happen to me, I want you to be protected. I want it to be official so that there is no doubt about my intent. Partners, 50/50."

"Carlos, I can't accept that from you."

"Babe, we can talk about that later. Right now I see Ram walking over to Cal, breakfast is here. Let's go eat."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thank you so much for all your kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best. :)

Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and the name of this story. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 15 A day in the life

Ram came through with breakfast...bagels of all kinds, whole grain for them and white flour super-doughy for me, two kinds of cream cheese, low fat and the real deal and smoked salmon for Carlos. He even picked up assorted pastries for dessert. Love those merry men.

While we ate we talked a little bit about Manny. Bobby was going to give us an update at 11, but Cal called Mariella while we were on the beach and the news wasn't too good. He had suffered a seizure over night and was moved back to the ICU so they could monitor him closer more closely. Even though we had 24/7 Rangeman security on his room, the hospital staff wanted one-on-one medical support as well. There was a little more chitchat between bites and we were ready to get on the call with Rangeman.

Bobby took the lead and filled us in on what little more he knew about Manny's condition. "The neurologist is still pretty optimistic for a full recovery. He said sometimes these little seizures are part of the healing process and that we shouldn't be overly worried. Manny is still on schedule to be released mid-week. Ranger offered the apartment over his gym in Belmar as a place for Manny to safely stay while he recoups. Ella mentioned that we have an open one-bedroom at Haywood, which might be a better option, as I can check in on him daily."

Carlos took the floor next. "I understand Sybo, that you were able to locate Garcia. Want to fill us in on the details?"

Sybo cleared his throat and spoke a quick "Yes sir," then began. "Through his cell phone activity we were able to do a GSM localization and he seems to be making most of his calls from an apartment building in Ft. Lauderdale. We have the address and have a couple of contract men watching the building. We didn't think it was a good idea to bring attention to our men in Miami at this point, hence the need for contract workers." Sybo finished up his report, very business-like and much more professional than I'd ever heard him.

"Great job, Sybo." Ranger applauded him.

Tank was up next. "I spoke with McHugh twice already since I've been down here. Wanted to know what this million-dollar apiece bounty was all about. Turns out they thought we'd run and this gives the wannabe hunters some incentive to look for us. It's really a sad day in hell when your own government puts a price on your head. He's hoping to have this all reneged by next week. Sorry...I know that's not exactly what we wanted to hear. Lula and I just extended our vacation for another week, and Ranger, man; I suggest you do the same. Santos says there were unmarked cars parked outside of Rangeman. One of them tried to follow him this morning...I don't think he'll be trying again."

Ranger came to the forefront again, asking about the latest with Pearce and Esposito. Lester fielded that question.

"Bobby and I turned them over to TPD last night. We can only guess how long they'll be in for. Kraven's a multi-millionaire; he could have posted the bond already. We need to be on high alert as far as they are concerned. I've asked Ella to stay indoors and have our supplies delivered. She's not too happy with that, but she understands. If they've been watching us as closely as I think they have, they'll know about her association with us and I would hate for her to be a target for those bastards."

The meeting concluded with Ranger's search results from this morning. We had a bead on a few of Garcia's disciples. We were making progress, it was just slower than anyone wanted and the McHugh aspect was still a big disappointment. I don't think Carlos was too happy being housebound for another week, but the weather was getting nicer and spring was in the air, so maybe we could figure something out.

As we were leaving the office, Carlos' arms surrounded me. "Babe, I'd like to continue our conversation from earlier. Come with me to the gym. I want to check out the ventilation and I want to be alone with you for a bit."

As we walked out to the gym, a thought struck me. "Fuck."

Carlos looked at me with one eyebrow raised, expectedly. I sighed and then clued him in on my earlier thoughts. "Carlos. I just thought of something; it's Easter next weekend and we're still going to be holed up here. I need to figure out something. My mother is going to want to have a family get together. And I would really like you to come with me."

"I was going to ask the same thing of you. My family makes a big thing for Easter too and I thought it might be a good time for you to meet them. I'd hate for your first introduction to be at Daria's party." Carlos paused to think about this more. "Maybe we could have an Easter dinner here and invite both families. I couldn't deal with everyone, but how about our parents and grandparents?

I looked at him dumbfounded. "You want to make Easter dinner?" He just looked at me and nodded. "You still think I have no domestic skills? I can make a leg of lamb with the best of them. Whether I'll eat it is another story, but I certainly can cook it. And maybe I can convince Ella to make some things in advance. She has Good Friday and the weekend off, but maybe she can put together some things that reheat well."

"Oh my God, my mother's going to be ironing from now until Easter. She doesn't even know we're dating- never mind living here together and making family dinners."

Carlos laughed at my reference to my mother's ironing. 'Just you wait,' I thought.

One of these days he'd see it for himself.

"I think my mother would want to make some things too," he continued. "There are Cuban specialties that she makes every year for Easter. She'd make them anyway even if they didn't eat at home, and you would like her breads."

"Alright, I guess we just decided we're doing this. We're going to have to call them today before they start shopping."

"When we go back to the house we can call. Daria's probably told my parents all about you by now. She probably cornered Lester after my phone call with her. You saw how quickly she got my "safe" number from Tank. I guarantee you, this is not going to be a surprise to my family."

We resumed our walk over to the gym and when Carlos opened the doors the place didn't smell all that bad.

"I think we just need to make sure the AC is on high when we have more than one person on the machines. It seems to be ok in here now," he said in response to my exaggerated sniffing. Laughing, he led me over to a weight bench and pulled me down into his lap.

"Carlos, you wanted to continue our conversation from earlier?"

"Yes Babe. Remember our promise to be open and honest with each other?"

"Mmm hmm," I answered.

"I really want you to be legally protected if something should happen to me. I've already set you and Julie up as the beneficiaries on my life insurance policy. But I want more than that for you. I want you to have the same legal rights to my estate as a wife would have. Unfortunately, you will have no rights at all if I don't legally spell it all out and get Devon to set up an infallible agreement. In my line of work, you can't be too careful. And I refuse to see you left with nothing because you don't want to talk about these things."

"Carlos, I don't know what to say. I wouldn't want your family or the 'Burg' gossipers to think I'm a gold digger. I'm not a Joyce Barnhardt, who collects men for their money. I'm not comfortable with this."

"No one has to know but you and me, I just want you to be protected."

I sat silently, thinking about all that he had said. I knew there would be no hiding from this talk. Once Carlos' mind was made up about something, it was set in stone. "Ok Carlos, you win. I just don't want to talk about this anymore."

And he just shook his head and smiled at me like I was the village idiot, "Babe."

As we walked back to the house to call our prospective families and invite them for Easter, Carlos pulled me to him and kissed me. "I love you so much, but sometimes I want to strangle you. You are so thick headed," he mumbled in my ear, while he nuzzled my neck. All the while I was thinking 'look who's calling the kettle black'!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you so much for all your kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best. :)

Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and the name of this story. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 16 _The photo album_

To bolster each other's confidence, we called our parents holding hands. Carlos called his mom first. "Mama, it's Carlos. I can't stay on long to chat but I wanted to invite you and Papa over for Easter dinner to meet Stephanie and her parents. We thought we'd invite both of our grandmother's too. I was hoping to get to you before you had a chance to formalize your holiday plans."

He stood there immobile while his mother responded. I couldn't hear what she was saying but he seemed to relax as she spoke. "Stephanie and I will cook, we want to keep this small." "No, not my apartment, we're staying at the house in Belmar, the kitchen here is much larger." "You will...Abuela too?" "Gracias..." And he went off in Spanish for a minute. I didn't understand anything after the gracias.

Carlos hung up and pulled me close. "One down, one to go. They'd love to come. My mother can't wait to meet you."

I was up next and held Carlos' hand, maybe a little too tightly, while I dialed the all too familiar number. My mother answered on the first ring. "Hi Mom, it's Steph. I don't even know where to begin but Carlos Manoso, you know him...Ranger...he's been over to the house a number of times..." "Yes, the bounty hunter, but he doesn't do much of that anymore, he has his own business..." "Yes, Rangeman. Well, we've been spending a lot of time together, and we've been staying at his house in Belmar. We wanted to invite you, dad and grandma over for dinner on Easter. We invited his parents and his grandmother, and they've already accepted..." "No we don't have an announcement to make..." I was getting more flustered by the minute and looked over at Carlos who took the phone from me to explain further.

"Hi Mrs. Plum, it's Carlos. Stephanie was getting a little tongue-tied so I wanted to continue the invitation for her. Yes we do have an announcement to make, but it's not what you'd expect. No we're not engaged, we didn't run off and get married and we're not pregnant, but we do love each other very much and want our families to meet. Stephanie and I are planning to cook dinner and we'd love it if you, Mr. Plum and Mrs. Mazur would join us as we share our first Easter together."

He was so eloquent, I couldn't stand it. He'd probably have my mother eating out of his hand by the end of the visit.

Carlos continued, "We want to have the dinner at our house on the beach. I can email Mr. Plum directions, but I was thinking around 3 o'clock on Sunday." "Yes, Stephanie and I are going to cook." "You can bring dessert if you want, but we're planning on making the main meal." "I've been cooking since I was little; with six kids in the family, we all learned how to cook." "Yes, she's going to help." "Thank you, we're looking forward to it too...we're excited for everyone to meet. Yes, we'll see you then. Should I email Mr. Plum directions or should I call him?" "Ok, I'll call him on Monday." "You too, bye."

I looked over at Carlos. "Well we did it. Now we just have to pull it off."

"That's the easy part, Babe. I do want to call Ella though." And Carlos once again got on the phone to a very happy reception and the promise of one of the Merry Men bringing some things over on Friday.

Carlos looked happy, I on the other hand was panicked. I really have no idea what I'm doing in a kitchen. I'd just as soon make the coffee and leave everything else to Carlos, but that didn't seem quite fair.

Carlos had paperwork to catch up on and some client calls to make, so he was holed up in his office. We were scheduled for a 4 o'clock call-in with Rangeman and until then, I had nothing on my plate. So I decided to snoop around the house. We had had a changing of the guard and our new bodyguards were Lester and Hal, two of my favorite Merry Men. I persuaded Lester to join me on my search for things unknown.

There was a bookcase in the second bedroom that I didn't notice before and Les and I hit pay dirt: a photo album and a traveling chess set. We took both back to the living room for further inspection. Carlos said he had no secrets from me so I felt justified in going through the photos. This album looked suspiciously like his mother had put it together for him, probably before he joined the army. It was hard to say for sure, but everything seemed to be in chronological order.

It opened with a 5 x 7 picture of a baby Carlos. He was very adorable with his dark hair and dark eyes, but even as a baby the intensity was there. The next page showed three girls, his sisters I'd presume, with a baby Carlos. So I put my two and two's together and came up with three older sisters. That left a younger sister and a younger brother. Carlos had said that Daria was the oldest, so the girl on the left must be Daria. Lester is somehow related to Carlos so I pointed to her and asked. "Les, is this Daria?"

"Good work, Beautiful. Yes, that's Daria and this is Celia," he said pointing to the next step, "and Isabel or Izzy as she'd rather be called."

This was such a great find. I could meet everyone without having to meet them. There were a few more pages of baby Carlos and then there was a new baby in the picture, another boy. I pointed to the new baby and looked over at Lester.

"That's Alex, he's a year younger than Carlos. They look a lot alike, but you'll see, their personalities are so different."

By now Hal had joined us and scooted in to my left to look at Ranger's baby pictures. I turned the page and sure enough, there was another little Manoso addition, this time a girl. I again pointed to the baby and looked over to Les. "And?"

"That's Lauren. She's the youngest."

I turned the page again and there was an 8 x 10 shot of Carlos in a white suit with a white tie. He had a white carnation in his lapel and rosary beads in his hands. Carlos' First Holy Communion. I remember Carlos once telling me he looked like a girl when he was little because of his straight silky hair. I think this picture might have been what he was referring to. His features were delicate, his brown eyes huge and his hair was falling straight, almost to his eyes, although it had obviously been cut for the occasion. He was beautiful. How could you not fall in love with this little boy?

"Steph, are you ok?" I heard from my left.

"I'm sorry Hal, yes, I'm fine. I was just taken back by this picture of Carlos. He's beautiful."

"Don't let Ranger hear you say that. He had a complex about his looks as a kid. Everyone thought he was beautiful. It embarrassed him." Lester added.

I turned the page again to change the subject and there was a studio portrait of a man and a woman. I assumed they were Carlos' parents. The man looked disturbingly like Carlos. The woman was very pretty; no wonder Carlos is such a good looking man. What a gene pool.

Without my asking, Lester chimed in. "Those are Ranger's parents, Ricardo and Gloria. I guess you'll be meeting them sooner or later."

"I'm meeting them on Sunday; we're going to make dinner here and invited both sets of parents...the grandmother's too. So Carlos was named after his father? I guess that's why he doesn't use the Ricardo, it'd be too confusing."

"I guess. We've always called him Carlos. His mother called him Carlito, little Carlos. Maybe there's another Carlos? Ask Ranger, I'm sure he'll tell you. Are you really cooking, Steph?"

"Carlos wants to do this and said he's cooking. I can chop, but that's about it. He asked Ella and she's going to make some things that we can reheat."

"This should be interesting. I wonder who Bobby has guarding you on Sunday? I should check online. I might even volunteer."

Sometimes I couldn't believe the things that these men considered fun.

We were just closing the photo album when the buzzer to the front gate sounded. We weren't expecting anyone, so Lester checked the video feed. "It's Ranger's sister Daria and her husband Eric. We're you expecting them?"

"Not that I know of. If Carlos knew they were coming he would have told me. Should I let him know before we buzz them in?"

"She probably came to check you out. I'll buzz her in, but let Ranger know."

I walked over to his office, knocked softly and called his name. "Carlos, your sister is here. Lester just buzzed her into the gate."

"I should have known she'd show up. I'll be right out; I just want to save this draft. Actually, come in, the door is open."

I walked in to find Carlos sitting at his desk surrounded by a few very neat stacks of papers, a calculator and his open laptop. He got up and walked over, put his arms around me and kissed me. "She's going to make a hard day harder. Let's go meet her together." And we went out arm in arm to face the enemy.

Daria looked like a very pretty female version of Carlos, but I was surprised to see that her husband, I think Les said his name was Eric, was a god. A very handsome blonde haired, blue-eyed god. I bet their children are gorgeous, I said to myself. We walked over to them and Carlos did the introductions.

"Daria, Eric, this is Stephanie Plum. Steph, my sister Daria Hansen and her husband Eric." We shook hands and Daria kissed me on both cheeks, Latin style.

"So Carlos," she began with a twinkle in her eye, "when were you planning on introducing us to this beautiful woman?"

"I didn't want to assault Stephanie with everyone at once. Mama and Papa are meeting her Sunday, and I planned to introduce her to you one-at-a-time before Maddie's party. What are you two doing here?"

"Well if you didn't send all my calls directly to voicemail, you would know," she answered curtly. "I'm driving Eric to the Monmouth airport, he's going to a three-day cardiac convention in Reno. This is on the way, so I figured since you weren't taking my calls, we'd stop by in person. I invited the Martine's to Maddie's Quinceañera and they accepted. I spoke with Rachel yesterday. While they will all be at the party, Julie wants to stay on for a few days and visit with you. Rachel said Julie was going to call you, but knowing you, you probably sent her to voicemail too. You got our invitation, didn't you?"

"Yes, Ella brought it out the other day. I'm sure Mama told you that I have a court martial against me and can't really travel until it's all settled. We were undecided about the party, but Julie's coming in changes everything."

"You weren't going to go to your own niece's party? Come on, Carlos...what is wrong with you?" She said, keeping up her annoyed tone.

Now I could see what Carlos and Tank were saying about her. I wondered if I should butt in before they came to blows, but I decided against it. It was interesting to watch this family dynamic unfold. We were still standing in the foyer though and I thought I should at least be polite and invite them in...so, ever the 'Burg hostess, I spoke up. "Let's go into the living room. Eric, Daria can I get you anything? I can put some coffee on. And I know there's cheese and fruit in the refrigerator."

"Thank you Stephanie, that would be nice," Daria said, her tone now softened.

I took off for the kitchen, happy to get away from the friction. "I can help," Eric said and followed me in.

"Are they always like that?" I asked once we were out of earshot.

"This is tame. They're being civil right now. She's one of the reasons Carlos doesn't go to too many family functions. They always get into head butting matches...it must be something left over from their childhood."

"Oh boy!"

While I made coffee and Eric cut up the fruit and cheese, we made small talk. He told me he's a cardiovascular surgeon at St. Christopher's in Philly...working with children with congenital heart defects. They live in Cherry Hill and have three kids: Madeleine, Ariel and Leo. I explained to him how I ended up as a bounty hunter and how I met Carlos. Eric seemed like a nice guy and I wondered if there was more to Daria than met the eye.

Hal and Les came into the kitchen while we were chatting. I realized that that left Daria and Carlos alone in the living room. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. "There's no referee in there," I mumbled, nodding to the living room. Eric and Lester chuckled, while I dug out serving platters. Good thing I watched Vince last night and saw where things were hidden. It would be kind of embarrassing to open and close all the cabinet doors in my kitchen. God, that thought made me flash on Carlos' insistence that he legally make sure I was provided for all over again. It still creeped the hell out of me.

While I was musing to myself Les got a phone call. From the way he was speaking, I could tell he was talking to Bobby. "Yes, she's right here." "No she doesn't have her phone with her, do you want her to call you? Here I can just give her mine," and he handed his phone to me. "Bobby," he said.

"Hey Bobby, what's up?"

"I just wanted you to know that your apartment was broken into probably early this morning. Whoever broke in made a mess of the place. Obviously they were looking for something."

"Oh shit, Bobby! Do I need to go there and clean up? Carlos doesn't want either of us in Trenton until the Garcia thing is settled. Maybe I can get my mother..."

Bobby interrupted me before I could finish. "Don't worry, Bomber. Sybo and Vince were the ones who discovered it. They dusted for prints and straightened up the place. I was just wondering if you might have had something there that could tie you and Ranger to the Pardo house?"

"No, I didn't even know it existed before I left for Florida...and I haven't been back there since. As you know, I don't have much of value, so I have no idea what they were looking for. My gun was in the cookie jar, was that still there?"

"Sorry Bomber, they took your gun, but I'm sure Ranger can get you another, maybe one you'll feel more comfortable with and would actually use. What about paperwork? Was there anything of value?"

"Just the title to my Escort, and maybe some insurance and bank account stuff. There wasn't much there, just my pile of receipts that I save for tax purposes. Why? Were there papers strewn all over the place?"

"Yeah. Sorry Bomber, they made quite a mess of your papers, but the guys put them back into the plastic tub they were in. They may not be in the order you had them, but they cleaned up as best they could."

"Uh, Bobby you know me. There was no order. Please thank Vince and Sybo for taking care of everything. I really appreciate it. Did they get any usable prints?"

"Hector's running them now. I wish Hal was here to do it, he's very meticulous…not that Hector isn't, but Hal seems to find things other people miss."

"We don't need two guards here. Maybe Hal should go back to Rangeman? I really feel bad that you guys had to go through so much trouble for me."

"Steph, can you put Hal on?"

I handed the phone to Hal. There wasn't much else I could do, so I went back to being a good hostess and added crackers to the tray of fruit and cheese, looked over at Eric, and we brought everything into the living room.

I wanted to let Carlos know about the break in, but I wasn't sure if it was something I should bring up in front of his sister, so I figured I'd catch his eye so he'd know something was up.

Carlos and Daria seemed civil to each other when Eric and I came back into the room. Carlos was smiling and Daria laughing. I definitely preferred this dynamic.

It took a while to get Carlos' attention, but when he finally looked over at me, I did the universal 'meet me outside' eye thing and he started to pick up coffee cups and dishes to bring into the kitchen. I followed suit.

Of course I was panicked about relaying the news of the break in, and Carlos just wanted to kiss. Before I could get a word out of my mouth, he had pulled me close and had his tongue in it. Not that I minded; Carlos is a great kisser.

"Mmmm Babe, I can't wait for them to leave. I need to have you alone," he whispered in my ear and got me all turned on.

I got my mind out of the gutter and pulled myself together enough to speak. "Carlos, we need to talk. Bobby called; someone broke into my apartment and went through all my papers. It's not that I have anything all that valuable, but they were looking for something."

Carlos paused to think about what I had just told him. I could see his expression change, so I knew he had something on his mind. "We have that 4 o'clock standing meeting. We can use that time to discuss this with all of Rangeman. I still don't like that it's so easy for anybody to get in your apartment, but while we're here at least I know you're safe."

While we were talking, Daria came into the kitchen. "Carlos, Stephanie, we have to leave. Eric has a flight to catch." She paused for a few seconds then continued, "Will we be seeing you soon? I'm hoping that before Maddie's party, the four of us can go out to dinner. I'd really like to get to know Stephanie better."

"Sure Daria," Carlos answered. "We can get together for dinner, but the further from Trenton, the better. Pick a day and time and we can drive to you."

That was surprising. I figured he'd worm his way out of that one. But knowing it wasn't me that caused the friction between the two of them, I really wouldn't mind getting to know Daria better too, and Eric seemed like a great guy. I could always talk to him if things got weird.

We walked them to the door and said our goodbyes. We'd just turned around and stepped out of the foyer when mysteriously Lester and Hal reappeared.

Lester spoke first, addressing Carlos. "Ranger, I hope Steph had a chance to tell you about her apartment. Hal and I just got off the phone with Hector and Bobby. Bobby wants Hal to re-run Hector's print results, so he's heading back to Trenton. I'll stay here until Vince and Sybo arrive. We're switching things up a bit this afternoon."

I just remembered something Bobby said earlier and chimed in before I forgot. "Uh, Bobby asked if there was anything in my apartment that could link Carlos and me to this house. I didn't even know about this place, so I don't think there's anything to worry about, but…there...there was something in my apartment that could link me to Carlos." I paused and both Carlos and Lester urged me to continue.

"Go on," Carlos said and Lester nodded.

"About a year ago, Carlos came into Vinnie's to pick up some paperwork and like he would do on occasion…" Again I paused. Was I really going to admit this? I had to, it might be important.

"Well," I continued. "Sometimes Carlos would want to speak with me alone…outside. This one time, Lula just happened to be coming back from parking her car and saw Carlos and I go into the alley. She doesn't normally snoop, but she's as curious as the next person, so she looked in and saw Carlos and I embracing. She had her cell phone in her hand and snapped a picture. She actually had it printed up and gave it to me. It was a great picture…and at the time, Carlos and I weren't together, like we are now. So I kept it. It gave me hope. Anyway, the picture was in a folder with some other pictures I was keeping. They were in the bottom drawer of my dresser with my passport and social security card. It's clearly Carlos in the picture. Do you think this might be something they were looking for?"

I hadn't even finished my soliloquy when Lester picked up his phone and called Vince. "Hey man, how far away from Steph's apartment are you? She just told us something that could be important. Can you go over there and call me back when you get there? Yeah, now would be good. Thanks, man."

He disconnected and called Bobby. "Hey, Steph just told us that there was a picture of her and Ranger in a drawer. I just sent Vince over there..." "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, we need to have the Plums' and the Kloughns' houses watched. I don't trust these guys." "Yeah, send them over now."

Lester hung up and turned to us. "You heard that. I'm betting that picture is gone. For a million dollars people will do anything and we can't take any chances. Steph, I think you should call your parents and your sister and let them know we're watching them. I'd hate for anybody to get the wrong idea if they saw our cars." I nodded in agreement, but did nothing to contact my family.

Carlos turned to Hal. "I think you should head back to Rangeman and see if you can pull a partial from the prints they got this morning. This whole thing has me unnerved." Hal started to leave and then Ranger turned to me. "You know, we haven't been as safe as we should be."

I thought he was talking about sex and I was about to remind him that I was on the pill, when I realized he wouldn't say that in front of Les. "How so, Carlos?"

"Too many people know we are here. A number of my men, my parents', your parents', my sister, your mother probably told your sister, our grandmothers, Lula, Ella, Louis, Philipe. Mary Lou?" I shook my head yes. "And other people have seen us together: people at the restaurant, the cashier at the Stop & Shop. We were more visible than we should have been which is not good and I blame myself…" He looked over at me, "…I was distracted."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Please note: This chapter is unedited, my beta Fredda (Rangegirl1234) is still reading, I'll repost when I get it back. All errors are mine. M rating

Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and the name of this story. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 17 _A little Joe fiasco_

"What do you want to do about that, Carlos?" I asked, realizing he was right. "Should we cancel the dinner we're making for our parents and get out of Dodge?" I continued, half-hoping he'd agree with me so I didn't have to prove again how inept I am in a kitchen.

"I'm not sure. It probably isn't a good idea, especially in light of your break in, but a part of me just wants to be like every other couple and be able to have a family get together. As far as the house itself goes, no one can trace it back to me, it's Marc Pardos', my concern right now is that someone found that picture and is planning on using someone in your family or one of your friends to get to me."

He turned to Lester, "Have someone watch the Stankovic's house, maybe drive by Mooner and Doug's houses too, just keep an eye on anyone who could be associated with Stephanie.

"Mooner and Doug don't know I'm here, you can cross them off the list."

"I could, but because they're stoners, they're easy targets. I'd rather your friends not get abducted. We'll keep an eye on them too. Babe, have you checked your phone lately? Bobby said he's been trying to get in touch with you."

"It's in my bag in the bedroom, but I haven't heard it ringing."

"Just my point, Bobby said he left you a couple of messages before he called Santos."

I went to get my phone. I probably should carry it around with me anyway. It's not like I was in my apartment where people could also call my landline. I checked my messages and had five: two from Bobby, two from my mother and one from Morelli. "Uh oh, I wonder what he wants?" I said out loud…ignored the others and played his back first.

"Cupcake, it's Joe," the voice began and I winced at the 'Cupcake', "Rangeman called in the burglary to your apartment and I went over to investigate. I know they got prints and cleaned up pretty well, but I'd like to talk to you. Can you give me a call when you get this message?"

I didn't want to keep any secrets from Carlos and although I knew he wouldn't be too happy to hear Joe calling me 'Cupcake', I played the message again on speaker for him and Les to hear.

"Call him back," Carlos said, "you didn't do anything wrong. You've been here for the last few days, if he must know."

I wanted to postpone the inevitable as long as possible, so I listened to my other four messages first. The two from my mother were left before Carlos and I called her. She was inviting me to dinner on one and wondering where I was on the other. Guess I hadn't checked my messages for a while. The two from Bobby said the same thing, "Call me".

I knew I also had to contact my parents, Valerie and Mary Lou to let them know about the Rangeman surveillance and I was thinking about calling them first when I looked up and saw Carlos' 200-watt smile, looking down at me.

"Babe."

"You knew what I was thinking, didn't you?"

He nodded in agreement and said again, "Call him."

Ok, couldn't put it off any longer, so I went to the letter "J" on my phone and hit the "Joe" button.

"Cupcake," it answered after two rings, "are you ok?"

"Yes, Joe, I'm fine, what's up?"

He mumbled something about the ongoing investigation and asked me where I was.

"I've been staying with Carlos at his house on the beach."

"Carlos? Manoso?"

"Yes Joe, Carlos Manoso. We've had a chance to have some serious conversations. We admitted how we felt about each other. Carlos has asked me to move in with him, which I haven't done yet…but I am staying with him right now at his beach house."

"This is sudden, Cupcake, have you really thought this through? He's a nut case."

"No he is not, Joe. He's a really wonderful man and if you must know, I realized I loved him when he was shot during the Scrog case. It was when I recognized that I loved the both of you. Listen Joe, is there a point to this conversation?"

"I was hoping to get together with you to see if you had any ideas about who may have broken in and what they may have been looking for?"

"Carlos and I can't be seen around the Trenton area for at least another week, can we discuss this over the phone?"

"What kind of trouble has he gotten you into now? Cupcake, he's not a good influence."

"Joe, drop it. We either talk on the phone, or we don't talk at all." I couldn't believe I was saying this to Joe. Obviously after the Terri thing I grew a set of balls.

"Ok, Cupcake, can we talk now, or should I call you back at another time when he's not listening."

"Joe, I'm not your _cupcake_ please don't call that anymore. And as far as calling me back when Carlos isn't around, that's not going to happen." At this point I wanted Carlos near, so I reached for his hand and tugged him to me. "I have no secrets from him and I want him to hear what we're talking about. Rangeman is investigating this as well."

"Ok Stephanie, I understand, you've made your point. Do you have any idea who may have broken in?"

"I don't know. It could have been a number of people."

"A number of people! You have a number of people after you? What has he gotten you into?"

"He hasn't gotten me into anything, I have a couple of FTAs who are not very happy with me, it could have been any of them, or it could have been the Feds."

"The Feds? Stephanie, what's going on?"

"Don't tell me you don't know about Carlos and Tank's courts martial?"

"I don't, would you care to explain them to me?"

I looked over at Carlos before I answered and mouthed, "Can I tell him?"

Carlos nodded yes, so I gave Joe the short version of Carlos' final mission and extraction by Rangeman.

"Now I know why he's suddenly admitting his feelings for you, he's out of his government contract. I get that it could be the Feds, actually I get that a lot."

While we were talking, Lester's cell phone rang and he left us to take the call. He came back into the room while I was still on with Joe and mouthed, "that photo is gone."

I felt I had to cut Joe off quickly and deal with the moment, so I said, "Joe, we just got some information about the break in and I need to talk to Carlos and Les, can I call you back later?"

'Yeah, just keep me in the loop, and Cupcake, I really wish you wouldn't get too involved with that nut job." And Joe disconnected.

Fuck, fuck, shit and piss, this was exactly what I didn't want to have to deal with, Joe. Damn, I was cursing like a sailor. I never realized before how much he affected me.

No one spoke up so I broke the silence, "When I was talking to Joe, I mentioned that I thought it may have been the Feds that broke in. After I told him about the courts marital, he agreed with me. Would they have left the place is such a mess?"

"To throw us off they would," Carlos answered.

"So what do we do now?"

"We continue doing what we've started to do, keep a close eye on your friends and family. We've had Rangeman watching my family since this whole thing started. Now you know why I didn't want to have a relationship, but I can't _not_ have you in my life, so we'll just have to deal with it. Once the courts martial is reneged, this should go away and then we'll only have to worry about Garcia and company. That's another thing I want to bring up on our four o'clock, what the hell is taking McHugh so long?"

The four o'clock was a long and laborious meeting. Carlos was pissed about the probable Fed break in to my place, the fact that their courts martial were still outstanding and maybe even my conversation with Joe. Putting all those things together put him into a really foul mood.

He went off on Bobby when Bobby told the floor that Manny was out of the ICU and back in his own room. He lashed out at Les when Lester brought up the missing photo from my apartment and he gave Tank hell when Tank mentioned another phone call with McHugh scheduled for tomorrow. I felt like I needed to pull Carlos aside and calm him down. I wished I knew how to calm him down, I guess I could try soft and soothing.

We usually leave these meetings feeling optimistic, like positive steps are being taken. We usually walk out of his office arm in arm, or with him kissing the top of my head. But today Carlos stormed out, I followed tentatively, a few steps behind and Les brought up the rear. Oh boy, was I going to have to try something. I was not going to be holed up in a house with a raving lunatic.

"Carlos, can we talk for a minute," I started.

"Sure Babe, you know I always have time for you. Want to walk over to the gym where it's quiet?"

I didn't care, I just wanted to find out what was going on with him, "That's fine, or we can always just go back into your office."

"Let's go to the gym, I may have to hit the bag after that meeting."

He led me through to the annex and up the stairs to the weight bench that we seem to be using regularly to have these intimate conversations. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. "What's the matter, Babe?"

"Carlos, I don't know how to put this nicely, so I'll just put it. You were awful in that meeting. You yelled at Bobby and Tank and you almost drilled Lester a new one. What is going on?"

"I'm sorry, my anger was not directed at you. I feel so frustrated. This mess with the government should have been all cleared up by now. McHugh is a good guy and has always straightened out the odd ends for us before, but obviously he's not in control of this. I hate being a sitting duck. And I hate that they've discovered you. Dios, do I hate that they've discovered you. And you know what I hate most; I hate that Morelli tried to manipulate you. I heard him telling you that I was a bad influence and that I was crazy. I really don't care what he thinks about me, but I didn't like that he tried to influence you. Babe, I couldn't bear to lose you."

"Is that what this was all about?" I swung my feet around the bench to face Carlos and took his hands before I continued. "Carlos, you're not going to lose me. After I found out about Terri, I thought through everything he's ever said to me. He never wanted us to be friends; he never wanted me to work for you at Rangeman. He wanted me to quit my job at the Bonds office and be a stay-at-home, I don't know what. It was all about him and his needs. He can't say anything to me at this point that will make me question how you feel about me, or how I feel about you."

"Carlos," I continued, "I do think you owe Bobby, Tank and Lester an apology. You were really horrible to them. I've never seen you like that."

"I'm sorry I upset you, I'll talk to them. Babe, do you think Lula still has that photo she took of us? I'd like to get copies to our allies and see what the streets are saying."

"I can call her, look I even have my phone with me this time," and he smiled as I pulled my iPhone out of my jeans pocket.

I went to the "L" and pressed "Lula" and she answered just as it should have gone to voicemail. "Hey girlfriend, what's up?"

I gave her the sixty second version as I was pretty sure Tank was keeping her in the loop. "So, do you still have that picture on your phone?"

"Girlfriend, I have that and about three hundred more, I never delete my pictures. Give me five minutes to find it and I'll email it to you."

"Thanks Lula, we'll talk when you get back, but you were right, _that_ was something else," I whispered.

"Told you white girl." and she hung up.

A few minutes later my phone buzzed that I had a text message, and the photo popped up. It was a really great picture and I was glad to have it back. Maybe I'd frame it this time.

I showed it to Carlos and he asked me to forward it to him. I saw him studying the image as it came up on his phone. "This is really a nice shot of us. I wonder how big it will blow up, it would look good on the mantle."

Carlos putting pictures around the house? I wasn't used to this Carlos.

"Carlos? Before you forget, at least email, Bobby, Tank and Les. Please? For me?"

"You drive a hard bargain. Ok Babe, I'll email them." He jotted a couple of words into an email and sent it off...I felt so much better. I hated that he was being cantankerous with his men. They were good guys who didn't need to be berated because he was in a pissy mood.

Vince and Sybo finally showed up to relieve Lester, who was still acting a bit put off from his earlier encounter with Carlos. I walked over as soon as I saw them come up the driveway. I wanted to thank them in person for cleaning up the mess the probable Feds made to my apartment. "Thank you so much guys, I really appreciate all you did. I'm sorry you had to go through so much trouble for me."

"No worries, Steph. Anything for you and the boss man," Vince said. Sybo added, "that must have been some picture."

I knew they were going to give me a hard time about it anyway, so I just opened my phone and showed it to them. "Want to see? Lula sent me the original."

"That's a great picture, no wonder the Feds wanted it. It's definitely you and the boss."

"Yeah, that's the problem, now they have proof of our association..." Vince cut me off, "that's no _association_, Bomber, that's two seconds away from a tongue tango," and I felt my face flush.

"So are you still having your get together on Sunday?" Sybo asked, probably to change the subject before Vince got even more graphic. "Bobby put us on duty, but Santos switched out with Vince. Hope your making extra, he eats a lot."

"I'm not making anything, this is Carlos' idea and I'm not sure what were doing in light of this new development. Damn, I forgot to call my parents, Val and Mary Lou," I blurted out as an afterthought.

"They're all coming?" Sybo questioned.

"No, just the immediates, but Carlos put surveillances on their houses and I was supposed to call them to let them know. I'll see you guys later, I've got to take care of this," and I strolled back into the house to make some phone calls.

While I was talking to my sister and giving her as little information as possible, Carlos came into the media room, or whatever it is you call this room with the 50" flat screen. I had my shoes off and was lying on my back dangling my legs over the arm of the couch when he approached. I don't think he realized I was on the phone until he got closer, and he stopped short when he saw the phone to my ear. "Val," I mouthed, so he would know who I was talking to.

"Ok, Babe, I have some news, come see me when you're done," and he walked out leaving me to explain some things I didn't necessarily want to explain to my sister.

"So," I continued to Val, "we think it was the Feds that broke in and Carlos just said that there's news. I really don't want you to get freaked out by this, they're just going to watch your house, and when you go out they'll follow at a safe distance." "We hope this will be over quickly, it's not permanent." "See you soon." "Yeah, bye." And I ended the call.

I turned over onto my stomach and lay there for a few minutes; I had called everyone I needed to and wanted a few minutes of thinking time. When I couldn't come up with anything good on my own, I went out in search of Carlos.

He was on the phone in his office but he beckoned me in with a hand motion and a quick, "I'll just be a minute."

"Babe, Devon called. He drew up the paperwork for our legal agreement and we need to sign. I'm going stir crazy being a prisoner in my own house, so I suggested we meet him for dinner tonight at Niko's...it's a Greek place in Long Branch. Don't worry it's safe there, we might even bump into Alexander Ramos. Vince and Sybo can follow us and keep watch outside if that will make you feel better and we'll take your car, it's a little less conspicuous. I'll wear my glasses and spike my hair as a precaution, but the Ramos' go there all the time...how do I say this...it's...'protected'." He paused while I took this in. "It's informal, but the food is good. I just made reservations for 7:00. We can bring a bottle of wine from our wine cellar."

Our wine cellar? I didn't know we had a wine cellar. "I'd really like to get out too, and I was just starting to get hungry...perfect timing. It'll only take me a few minutes to get ready. What was the news you had?"

"I'll tell you in the car."

I didn't have a lot of clothes here, just the summery ones from our Florida trip and some jeans and tops, but if I pared things right, I could probably find something to wear. I was standing in the closet wearing only my bra and panties and contemplating a pair of skinny jeans when Carlos came in, put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck, "Babe, I see you like this and I want to take you to bed. Dios, I think you better put some clothes on, or we won't be going anywhere."

"I'm trying Carlos," and I held up a summer top I thought I could wear with the jeans and a jacket and be ok. "What do you think of this with these jeans?"

"I like you better naked, but then we'll never get out of here. Dios, feel what you do to me," and he took my hand and brought it to his very hard erection.

"Mmmm, are you sure we need to leave now Carlos, this feels too good," I said running my hand over him, ready to forget all our evening plans.

"Babe, Devon is making a special trip and as long as I can have you for dessert later, we need to get ready."

I got dressed while Carlos borrowed some of my Mr. Alexander products and spiked his hair. It wasn't really what he should use, but it seemed to work and he looked so sexy and edible I was having a hard time not reneging on my agreement to go out. Paired with the glasses, he was hot!

On the ride to the restaurant I was having trouble keeping my hands off of him. He was driving, so being all over him really wasn't a good idea. I guessed I should wait till we got home later, but my Hungarian hormones were telling me otherwise. God, I was such a slut.

To keep my mind off hot and sweaty Carlos, I asked about the news again. "You were going to give me an updated report on the way, what did you learn?"

"Obviously your burglars wore gloves once they got inside and they wiped their prints from your door, but there was a latent under the knob. Hal was able to get a match from this print. He also got a positive on the hair sample Sybo brought back. Thank God the Feds have to be printed and DNA sampled or we wouldn't have gotten this so quickly.

"Matching the DNA and the latent we have a name: Robert Cagiano. He's in the Special Activities Division of the CIA, which means he's a civilian. No wonder McHugh is having a hard time getting our courts martial reneged, this directive is not coming from army intelligence. I wonder how SAD got involved looking for me?

"Anyway, there is good news in that we know who to look for, but we need to know who he's working with. We suspect only two people entered your apartment or someone would have noticed. Hector and Hal are doing backgrounds now and hopefully they will come up with something soon. He's considered paramilitary and if we capture him the US government will probably deny all knowledge...this could work for us, although I'd hate to have to go there."

"Is there anything I can do to help. I'm pretty good running background checks?"

"We'll get you involved tomorrow. They're on duty now, let them run the checks. Tonight we have other things to do."

We got to the restaurant in about twenty minutes and Devon was already there. He had secured a table in the back and was watching for us Rangeman style. I wondered if he learned that from Carlos?

We said our hellos and a waitress came over with glasses and a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine we brought. We clinked glasses in mock celebration and decided to order before getting down to business. Carlos and Devon selected an appetizer assortment of tzatziki, hummus and stuffed grape leaves for the table while we looked over the menu.

As soon as I opened the leather-bound list, I knew what I wanted: mousaka and a side of the lemon potatoes. Carlos ordered a Greek salad and charcoal grilled chicken and veggie skewers. Devon also went the salad route and paired that with a grilled rack of lamb chops.

While we waited for our entrées to arrive Devon took the paperwork out of his briefcase, explained to us what we were signing and handed Carlos a Montblanc pen to sign at the flagged x. After Carlos signed, he passed the pen and paperwork over to me so I could follow suit. By signing these papers, I guess we were legally joined somehow, but I still felt uncomfortable with the whole thing. Carlos on the other hand looked elated and pulled me to him to kiss me while Devon put the now-signed papers back in his attaché.

"Babe, I'm glad we did this. In the eyes of the law we're as good as married and you won't have to worry about money should anything happen to me. Right now you are half-owner of all my estates. In case you don't know it, you're a very wealthy woman."

"Carlos, I _really_ don't want to talk about this. This whole thing just makes me so uncomfortable."

"Only you, Babe. This is one of the things I love about you so much," and he took my hand and kissed it.

And I didn't feel comfortable with him declaring his love for me in front of his lawyer either. I guessed I was more prudish than I cared to admit.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

M rating

Fredda is back! Yeah! Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and the name of this story. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 18. _Flexing some muscle_

Dinner finished with small talk, but I was in my own world. Yes I loved Carlos and wanted us to be together, but this money thing was making me nuts. I wished he hadn't convinced me to sign those papers. Maybe we could have this whole thing overturned? What did I do to deserve this? I couldn't understand why he was so adamant about me being taken care of when he had a daughter. Who was I?

I was so inside my head that I wasn't even aware that Carlos had paid the bill. As we said our goodbyes to Devon I felt myself drifting even further into my own black hole.

Carlos reached for my hand and I pulled back as if I had been stung. "Babe?" He asked, "are you ok?"

"Uh, actually no, I'm not. Is it possible to get this overturned and just have everything go to Julie? I'm so uncomfortable in this role. I really want out. I'm serious. Please."

"Babe?"

"Carlos!"

"Let's go home and talk and then let me show you how much I love you. Babe please?"

We drove back in silence, which is not unusual for Carlos, but it is for me. I was in a state, going over all I wanted to say in my head. I didn't even realize we were home until we stopped at the gate to fob ourselves in. Carlos parked in the garage but instead of going into the house he led me to the cabana.

"Babe, let's go into the hot tub and talk. You seem very tense and the jets will relax you while I tell you some things, ok?"

"Ok Carlos, but I'm not changing my mind."

I noticed that the Turkish robes were back on the towel warmer and I wondered who did laundry? I certainly didn't. Carlos opened the tub and turned on the jets then came over to me. He put his arms around me and kissed me. It was a very slow kiss, filled with much love and desire.

"Mmmm Babe, you are my world. I love you so much. Let's get in the warm water together," and he started to unbutton my shirt while he kissed me.

When he had his hands on me like this, I was incapable of fighting his advances and the next thing I knew we were both naked in the hot tub and I was snuggled safely between his legs, our faces inches apart. He was kissing me and running small circles over my temples to relax me. God was I powerless to resist this man.

"Carlos," I started, but was interrupted.

"Shhh, Babe. Let me talk first, ok?" And he continued to massage me, working on my neck and shoulders as he spoke.

"Ok."

"You brought up Julie before so I want to let you know how I have her provided for. Once _I_ and Rangeman started making big money, I set up a trust fund for her. She can't touch it until she's twenty one, but she could live very nicely on the interest from it alone. Although I didn't have to, I've also set up a QDRO fund for Rachel. It's a court order that gives her the right to all the monies in the retirement account I set up for her. Since it's a court order, she can't refuse it. This ensures they will both be taken care of very nicely.

If truth be known, I don't love either of them the way I love you. I think Rachel has done a terrific job raising Julie and I respect her for that, but I don't love her. And even though Julie is my daughter and I have a place in my heart for her, I don't know her the way I know you. I don't even know if what I feel for her is love or just a sense of responsibility, but I know what I feel for you. If anything should happen to you I would be devastated."

I didn't know what to say. He just threw my entire case out the window. Julie was provided for and so was Rachel. I was about to try another tactic when my mind flashed on Lula's departing words to me, _"Please don't do anything stupid, it'll all work out. Batman is good for you."_

_Was he?_ Of course he was. _Was I about to do something stupid?_ Probably. So I stopped myself and let the day sink in instead.

"Carlos?" I asked after I had a few minutes to gather my thoughts. "Am I being difficult?"

"Yes Babe, but I understand your hesitation."

"You do?"

"Yes, fully. You, like me, grew up in a middle class household. Our upbringing tells us when we've exceeded our comfort level. I know you've grown comfortable in our house here and I know you've always been comfortable in the apartment on seven, but those are physical comforts. What is sending you into a panic is an uncomfortableness with the mentality of it all. It's knowing that I just signed over half of my assets to you, it's not the actual assets..."

I broke in at this point. "Oh no Carlos, with me it's not just the knowing, I don't feel worthy..."

"It's your comfort zone." he interrupted. "That's not a feeling of worth, it's an ingrained response to external forces you feel you have no control over. It's your fight or flight, it's a stress response, and right now _you_ want to do both. You want to fight me on something that's mutually beneficial, and you also want to run away. You're a very complex woman...and that's one of the things I love most about you."

I had no idea what he just said to me. Obviously Carlos is a very bright man, capable of very deep thinking. I took psychology in school so in theory I should have known what he was talking about, but I hadn't a clue. Was I just psychobabbled?

"Babe you're looking at me a little strangely? Are you ok?"

"In layman's terms, what did you just say?"

"I said I love you and I understand you. Now let's get out of here so I can show you how much I love you." And he pulled me to him and kissed me and I could feel his love growing against my belly.

"Now this I can understand," I said as I put my hand over his growing erection.

"Mmmm."

"Babe, come on, let's go into the house." We slowly lifted our very relaxed bodies out of the warm water. Carlos picked up the robes, held one open and helped me into it before taking the other for himself. He escorted me into the house, nuzzling my neck as we walked straight to our bedroom.

Carlos laid me down on the bed and my robe fell open. He began kissing my neck, his fingers skimming my nipples as he kissed me. His mouth moved to my mouth, his tongue reached in to greet mine as he continued his gentle assault on my breasts. His mouth was everywhere, alternating between kissing mine and making love to my body, looking up at me reverently the whole time. I ached to have him inside me and I reached for his very erect cock.

He moved away from my grasp, then picked me up and arranged me so we were sitting facing each other. My legs were over his, his erection poking me in my stomach and he held my hands. "I want to explain some things to you," he said, looking at me very intently to gage my reaction.

"Remember I was telling you that your PC muscle is one of the strongest muscles in your body?" As he asked he began massaging the area between my vagina and my ass where that muscle is located. I nodded yes and he continued. "Well you can use this muscle for a number of things. As I mentioned, it's the muscle you use to stop the flow of urine, but it's also been referred to as the 'love muscle'.

If you strengthen this muscle you can use it to enrich your sexual experience. In men, once we ejaculate we have to wait for our bodies to recover before we're able to go again, but by using this muscle effectively, it's possible to hold off ejaculation and just experience the orgasm. I think you've noticed I can do that?" I nodded again, wondering what he was going to tell me next.

"For you, strengthening this muscle can have multiple benefits, the greatest of which is an easy childbirth. I know you've used it to grip me when I'm inside of you, but have you ever tried to use it for your own enjoyment?" I shook my head no, and he continued.

"I want you to try something right now, and let me know how it feels, ok?"

"Sure, I'll try." I barely got the words out, not quite being able to form them at the moment because Carlos was still massaging my perineum.

"We'll start off easy, ok? I want you to contract and release this muscle," and he lightly pressed the area with his finger, "hold for three seconds, release for three seconds...fifteen times in a row."

I did as I was instructed. I got to ten and I could feel some pretty strong pleasurable sensations, so I kept on going. "Feels really good," was all I could get out. It actually felt like if he even lightly touched my clitoris right now I'd explode, but I didn't tell him this, I wanted to hear what else he had to say.

"If you keep doing these exercises and gradually increase the number of repetitions you will make that muscle stronger and you will start to experience some very strong orgasms, no matter what position you are in. It's also really good for me. It will tighten and deepen your vagina, so that my full length will be enveloped."

He was getting me really turned on again with his sex talk and gentle massage, so I pulled him to me, ran my tongue over his earlobe, bit it gently and whispered, "Mmmm, maybe we should try it now?"

Carlos pushed me back onto the bed and kissed me. His tongue found mine and then his mouth found my breast. His hands were running up and down my body. And suddenly he was inside of me. I was engorged from all the stimulation and I came loudly as he thrust into me and his dick grazed my clitoris. "Oh God," was all I could get out.

Next thing I knew I was on top and Carlos was whispering. "Use your muscles, Babe." So I squeezed as I rode him, and came again with the most powerful shuddering I had ever felt. I was still riding that out when Carlos manipulated himself so that his dick was tapping my g-spot as I moved down on him. The wave of pleasure was enormous and I thought I might lose consciousness as I came again and again.

We spent the next few hours, days, I don't know; I lost track of time, making love. Fabulous, sweaty and erotic. Ruination night was nothing compared to this.

_And_ I felt thoroughly loved.

Once again I woke up alone in our bed. It was still dark out but I could hear voices coming from somewhere in the house. I knew our guards had stayed over, so I assumed Carlos was conversing with Vince and Sybo in the hall. I was just about ready to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep when I heard my name in their conversation. I wondered what they were talking about, so I put on a robe and wandered into the hall to find out.

Carlos heard my footfalls and turned to me. "Babe, I'm sorry, did we wake you?"

"I heard you talking and when I tried to turn over and go back to sleep, I heard my name. What's going on?"

"We got some intel on Cagiano, the CIA guy," Vince said, refreshing my memory.

Carlos took it from there. "He was in to see Connie yesterday. He flashed a badge, said he was a special agent and asked for you. She told him you were out of town on a job and weren't expected back for another week. She didn't think much of it until she looked at the business card he handed her that she had absent-mindedly put in her pocket. She was getting ready for bed when she found it and looked at it again. She thought a CIA Special Activities Division agent seeking you out was a little odd and called Bobby."

"Well, we know he's still in Trenton then," I added. "Do you want me to be a decoy? If he's looking for me, maybe we should give him me and then you guys can take him down?"

"We don't know what he's capable of yet," Carlos cautioned. "We want to watch him for a few days. Maybe after that we can get you involved. If he went to Connie he's done his homework and knew you worked there. He may make a visit to your parents house next. I don't think he'll do anything until the morning, but you never know. I have Cal and Ram watching their house."

"If he's done his homework as you say, he'll know my dad leaves with his cab at seven in the morning. Wait, today is Sunday, he'll be home, but my mother and grandmother will go to church."

"The one thing I can pretty much guarantee is that he won't show up at Rangeman looking for you. He'd have to be stupid to do that, and I don't think he's stupid. Babe, why don't you go back to bed, it's only 3 am. I'm going to hit the gym with Vince and Sybo. We want to talk some things out."

"Carlos, don't you need some more sleep?"

"Babe," he replied. Guessed he had enough.


	19. Chapter 19

N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

M rating

Fredda is back! Yeah! Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and the name of this story. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 19 _Scratching an itch_

I woke up for the second time, to the sound of rain pelting on the windows. I thought _Sun_days were supposed to be sunny. Isn't that what the name says? Maybe I could turn over and go back to sleep _again_? Was thinking of it when I looked at the clock and saw it was a little after eleven. I really needed to get up and shower and do all those necessary things that take so much time: shave, buff, use the Mr. Alexander special once-a-month conditioner. I didn't even have clothes with me, but I had my special conditioner. What does that say about me? God, was I becoming high-maintenance?

I was still musing to myself when the bedroom door opened and Carlos walked in.

"I was going to get into bed with you and see if you'd wake up when I wrapped my arms around you," he said with that 200-watt smile on his face.

"I can't believe I slept this long. I was just contemplating a shower."

"I'm very good in the shower Babe," he wolf-grinned at me.

"I know you are and you're welcome to join me, but I have to do some personal things in there too that would probably turn you off."

"Nothing about you turns me off...I can help," he wolf grinned again and started to unbuckle his belt.

Was Carlos really going to help me shave my legs and pits? Oh God. Well if we really were going to live together, he'd see me doing this sooner or later, might as well be sooner and I'd get the added benefit of a Carlos-induced orgasm. Mmmm, just thinking about that got me turned on all over again, so I dropped my pjs and looked over at Carlos. I licked my lips and watched him rise to the occasion.

What Carlos promises, Carlos delivers on. After we had some amazing shower sex, it was time to get down to business and I picked up my razor. Carlos took it from me, lathered up one leg and with long even strokes shaved me. He then lathered up the other and did the same.

He stopped at my pubic hair and looked up at me, "Want me to continue?" Oh my God, Carlos was going to shave me clean.

The moment was so erotic. I was all turned on again and I just nodded yes. I could see that Carlos was as aroused as I was as my curls went down the drain.

"Mmmm Babe, you are so beautiful," he said as he went down on me underneath the running water. Oh God he really was good in the shower and I wanted to return the favor. I took a dollop of my extra special conditioner and reached for his very erect cock. The conditioner was nice and slippery, and I could tell Carlos was very happy with my choice of product; he moaned with pleasure as I stroked him. Very unlike Carlos, he couldn't control himself and after a few long, deep strokes, he came in my hand. Maybe Mr. Alexander should repackage this stuff?

After I did my hair and put on a coat of mascara, I went out in search of food as breakfast definitely came and went. The house was quiet as I made my way into the kitchen. I was wondering if Carlos had eaten. Actually I was beginning to wonder where Carlos was. Instead of opening the refrigerator like I planned, I walked back out, and headed towards his office. I found him on the phone and he ushered me in. He put his hand over the receiver and addressed me. "Babe, Cagiano paid your parents a visit. Bobby just started to update me, I'll put him on speaker."

"Hey Bomber," I heard Bobby's voice come over the line as I sat down, not knowing what to expect. "I just started to tell Ranger, but I'll start from the beginning," he continued. "About a half an hour ago, Cagiano rang your parents' bell and your grandmother answered. We had planted a listening device in the foyer and Cal and Ram were across the street with phones on, ready to intercept if necessary. He badged her and asked if you were there. Your grandmother thankfully answered as we coached her and said you were out of town on a job and should be back next week.

"She was about to shut the door, when he put his foot on the jamb to prevent the door from closing. He told her she was hindering a government operation and asked her if she knew where you were. She said she thought you were in Florida on business and she tried to close the door again. He put his hand out so it wouldn't shut and Cal came over.

"Now Cagiano is a big guy, he's as big as any of us, but Cal can be very intimidating with that flaming skull on his forehead. Cal asked what he wanted. He said he wanted to talk to you. Cal asked him to show cause that you were a risk to national security and if he couldn't he needed to leave. The asshole told him to fuck himself, turned and walked back to his car.

"I'm sure that's not the last we'll see of him, but now that he knows we're watching your parents' house, he probably won't go back there. I _am_ worried that he'll try to get to your father while he's picking up fares though."

"Ok," I responded, "we know he's serious about finding me now. I don't think my dad will cave under pressure, but I don't want to take any risks. Can we get someone to ride in my dad's cab with him?"

"Already taken care of Bomber. We'll talk more at four." And he disconnected.

"Babe, don't worry, he won't get to them," Carlos reassured me.

Changing the subject because my stomach was grumbling loudly, I asked, "Carlos have you had lunch?"

"No Babe, I was taking care of paperwork and then Bobby called. Want to see what we can put together?" I smiled and nodded yes and he ushered me into the kitchen.

"What do you want?" He continued, opening the refrigerator door. "We know there's cheese. I can make you a grilled cheese sandwich?"

"That would be good, but I can do that. Isn't this a panini press?" I asked pointing to a gadget on the counter.

"Yes Babe, and I think Vince brought some kind of rolls when he came on duty last night. I'm sure you can take one. I'm going to have salad with grilled chicken. We grilled some early this morning. Vince was hungry. Would you like some?"

I nodded my head 'no'. "I'll just have a panini. How do I turn this on?" I asked, looking for a switch on the unfamiliar piece of equipment.

"I think you just plug it in."

I tried that and a light came on, I guessed that was how you turned it on. There were two lights on the face of the press- a red one and a green one. The red one was lit, so I assumed it would switch to green when the contraption was hot enough to grill my sandwich.

I found Vince's rolls...there were five of them in a paper bag. I knew Vince couldn't eat all five, so I didn't feel so bad taking one. I cut it open and pulled out the inside of the bread as I saw them do at Giovichinni's. I thought my sandwich might be boring on its own so I smeared some mustard on both sides of the bread before filling it with cheese and a slice of tomato that I stole from Carlos. By now the green light was on, so I opened the lid, added my sandwich and pressed it closed. How hard could this be?

"Carlos, how long will it take for the cheese to melt and the bread to crisp?" I asked, my impatience starting to show.

"How about you start with three minutes and then look at it, you can always give it more time," Carlos answered while he cut a piece of chicken into strips to put on top of his salad.

While I was waiting for the timer on the microwave to ding, I turned to Carlos. "I think I owe you an apology."

"What for Babe?" He asked as he whisked up some kind of dressing.

"I wasn't exactly nice to you last night…"

"Mmmm, that's not what I remember," he interrupted with his wolf-grin smile.

"Carlos! I'm serious. I was in such a state. I'm sure I said horrible things to you. I know I was about to do something that would have jeopardized our relationship. And then I flashed on something Lula said to me before she left. She told me that you were good for me and that it would all work out as long as I didn't do anything dumb. Once I knew Julie and Rachel were taken care of I didn't really have an argument. I'm still not comfortable with our agreement, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate everything you've done for me, and that I love you very, very much."

"I love you too Babe. More than you can ever imagine. I feel honored to be able to give you things and share with you. And thank you for the apology, but it really wasn't necessary…"

And then my timer went off, breaking the awkwardness of the moment.

Carlos worked from his office for the rest of the day so I hung with Vince and Sybo. They fed me the latest Rangeman gossip and brought me up to speed on a couple of my regular skips. I was beginning to miss working, although I knew it wouldn't be a good idea for me to be in Trenton right now. Maybe there was something I could do from here for Rangeman? I decided that tonight I'd ask Carlos about running some searches for him.

I also made up my mind to cook. It wasn't fair that Carlos worked all day and then had to make us something to eat when I really had nothing on my plate. I'd watched my mother and Joe make sauce and I knew there were canned tomatoes in the pantry. I assumed we had garlic and dried herbs. Before I got started, I checked to see if we had pasta and found two boxes of multi-grain penne. I really didn't want to have to drive to the closest store, so they would have to do. Not trusting my instincts though, I went online and googled a recipe for tomato sauce.

I had all my ingredients out, my laptop with me on the counter and was just about to chop up the garlic when Vince walked in. "Steph? What are _you_ doing?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.

"It's only right that I try to do this, but now that you're here can you watch me so I don't screw it up? My plan was to make enough for all of us, two cans of tomatoes should be ok, right?"

"Want me to do this and you watch this time? Making gravy is second nature to me."

"Uh, that would be great, but I really don't want to inconvenience you."

"I have to eat too. You don't need meat in your sauce, do you? I don't think Ranger would want any and my sauce is pretty good without it." Vince said as he took the knife from me and began to chop up the garlic I made a mess out of trying to get the skins off. "We can grill up some chicken breasts later. Ranger has this great grill, it's like an outdoor kitchen…even you will like it."

I don't know where Vince came up with the idea that I would like anything cooking-related, but it was nice to know that I was off the hook…again.

I was sitting on the stool at the counter watching Vince chop when all of a sudden I had this horrible itch in my crotch area. I excused myself and went to the bathroom to check it out. I had all these little red bumps that were itchy as hell all over my newly shaved mound. I didn't know what to do. What do you do for the itchies? Calamine lotion? I wasn't going to put calamine lotion down there. I was starting to have a panic attack when Carlos knocked on the door and called my name.

"Steph are you ok? Vince said you ran out of the kitchen in a hurry?"

"Uh, Carlos, come in. I seem to have developed itchy red bumps all over my vagina. I think it's from shaving."

"I'm sorry Babe, I didn't mean to hurt you. I have some after-shave cream that should help. If it doesn't you can try a hydrocortisone ointment…but watch where you put it. Here, use this first," and he pulled something out of the medicine cabinet and gave it to me.

"Want me to put it on for you?" he asked with that wolf-grin expression on his face.

"I can do it Carlos, or we'll be in here for the next few hours. Wouldn't want the guys to come looking for us, now would you?"

"They know better. Uh, maybe you should put on cotton panties too…I think the lace might be what irritated it in the first place. I'll be in the kitchen. That is unless you want help."

"Carlos!"

I smeared the stuff all over me and changed to cotton underwear. It definitely felt better. I think if I was going to do this again, I'd get it waxed.

Much relieved, I went out to help with dinner. Carlos had opened a bottle of wine and had poured both of us a glass. Vince and Sybo were each drinking a beer while they cut up broccoli and salad makings. I walked over and Carlos put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. "Better Babe?" he whispered in my ear.

"Much," I answered as quietly as I could. Wouldn't want the guys to ask any questions.

"Carlos?" I asked, but speaking to the room so Vince and Sybo could hear as well. I wanted them on my side in case Carlos reacted negatively. "Can I do some skip tracing for Rangeman? I want to work and I know I can't go back to the Bond's office right now. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Odd that you ask. I was just talking with Tank about you and Lula working for us. Um, this is still not finalized so keep this to yourself, but Rangeman is buying the Bond's office. Harry wants out. I'm still leaving Vinnie to run it, but it will be an extended Rangeman property. Tank and I were talking about sending you and Lula for some formal training. There's a place in Philly that's highly recommended and you'll come out with an accreditation."

"What about Connie?" I asked hoping she wasn't going to lose her job. This was all new news to me and I had lots of questions, but I needed to know first and foremost that Connie was safe.

"We can send Connie later. She isn't on the street as much as you and Lula."

"What I was asking was if she was safe. She's not going to lose her job, is she?"

"Oh no Babe, we need her. She keeps the place running. She's a very strategic force."

"Is this sudden Carlos?" I asked needing some answers now that I didn't have to worry about Connie. "Or have you and Harry been talking for a while?"

"Harry called me the other day. He thought Rangeman would be the logical entity to buy the place since we handle all the high risk bonds anyway. His wife, Vinnie's mother-in-law, isn't too well. She needs knee-replacement surgery among other things and they were planning a long recoup in Florida. He didn't want the Bond's office hanging over his head. We're in final negotiation stages right now, it should be wrapped up by next week."

"You really want Lula and I to go for training?" I asked, hoping it wasn't going to be too much like exercise, even though I knew we both could use some skills.

"This is called a Fugitive Recovery Agency Course, with a firearms certification. They actually specialize in training women and Tank mentioned it for Lula, but I thought you could both benefit from it. And if you took it together you could partner up and get some real life skills as a team. Tank has been training Lula in some take-down techniques these last few days. He says she's loving it."

"I would like to learn some techniques too. Can you teach me while we're here?" I asked, really wanting to learn but also not wanting Lula's skills to exceed mine before our class so we would be on even ground.

"I might not be the right person to teach you. I think you and Santos would probably make a good team, but we can try."

"Why wouldn't we be a good team?" I asked wondering what Carlos was talking about.

"Don't get upset, but you're a strong-willed woman and you may not take well to me criticizing your technique. We may be too close for this to work, but we can try. There's nothing I would like more than to teach you the things I know." Carlos paused while he thought about what he just said. "Dios, this really might not be such a good idea," and he flashed me that evil smile of his.

"Babe," he continued after a few second cool down, "I was thinking about Easter and I may have a solution. We have two bullet-proof Hummers at Rangeman. I thought we could use them to pick up our families. Our guys are trained in avoidance maneuvers and any tails they had following them wouldn't make it to the highway. Once here everyone is safe. I'm also thinking that because too many people know we are somewhere around Point Pleasant, we need to change our location. Samantha and Marc need a vacation. I was thinking the Greek Island of Santorini might be nice place to go for a week. What do you think, Babe?"

"Are you serious, Carlos?"

"I'm very serious. Hopefully I can finalize the Bond's office purchase before Friday and then we'll be free to go right after our family dinner. I'm sure Hector can get the Pardos on a commercial flight. Or we can take a NetJets corporate plane, although it might get bumpy over the Atlantic...but we'd have the plane to ourselves and getting through customs might be easier. Think about it, we don't have to decide today."

"Why Santorini Carlos?" I asked wondering why not Paris or Rome.

"We have a protected property there. And it's really pretty, you'll love it. We can go to Paris another time when we aren't worried about staying so safe, if that's what you were thinking."

How does he always seem to know what I'm thinking? I thought to myself, but instead of asking I just responded. "Ok, I'm game. Listen, if it's better that we leave now, I'm ok with postponing our family get together. It seems like a lot of work to pull it off. And you know me, I'm not that into holidays that it has to be on Easter. We can do this when we get back."

"We already invited them Babe. I don't want to back out. And it's not us I'm worried about as much as someone getting to your friends or your family. Cagiano seems a little driven."

"If that's the case, do we even need to leave?"

"I want to keep us safe as possible and with us in Greece there will be two more guys available to keep an eye on him and anyone else we think could be in harms way. And since no one will know where we are, I'll feel better about no one being able to give our location away."

"Do we have any idea when McHugh will be able to get the courts martial reneged? Or are we going to have to be running forever?"

"I hope not Babe. I want to take you places and show you the world, not be forced into hibernation. Yeah, we took some liberties getting me out of that hell, but we've taken liberties before and weren't court martialed. Something else is going on. If I could be more visible and take a trip to DC, I'd find out in a second."

"Can I go for you? Of course not as Stephanie Plum, but what if I flew down as Samantha Pardo? Can you get me in to talk to the right person?"

"Babe, I appreciate the offer, but you already have one CIA agent looking for you. Let me take you to Greece and let this blow over on its own."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

M rating

Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to add some smut into this chapter :). Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 20 _Taking down Tank_

"You wanted to learn some take-down techniques, want to try some now?" Carlos offered one night after dinner.

"Ok." I said, but I was really thinking 'oh boy'.

"Change to your exercise clothes and meet me in the gym in five."

Carlos showed me the one-handed arm grab and the two-handed arm grab. We graduated to the bear hug and taking down a rushing attacker before I ended up on the floor under Carlos, face-to-face and groin-to-groin.

"Mmmm Babe. This feels really nice but this maneuver is supposed to get me into cuffs."

"I got distracted," I grinned at him.

"Maybe we should continue this another time? Manny was supposed to be released this evening. I want to check in with Bobby and make sure that happened and that he and Mariella are safely squared away in an apartment on four. Want to come with me while I make the call?"

I nodded yes and we ambled back to the main house, all the while Carlos was nuzzling my neck as we walked. He continued his conversation as we opened the door. "I placed the order for our family dinner. It's going to arrive tomorrow morning. And Ella said she's having Cal and Ram drop off some things that she's made tomorrow too. Looks like we're actually doing this."

"I'm a little nervous. I just want it to go smoothly. This whole thing with bulletproof cars and CIA agents has me a little crazy. And I hope my grandmother behaves herself. Who's picking my family up?"

"Lester and Sybo are getting yours and Hal and Binkie are picking up mine. You know, they all volunteered."

"I knew Lester did, but I didn't know about anyone else. Lester thought it would be fun. Sometimes I think you all have a warped sense of fun."

"Babe." He said, sounding a little put off by my joke, but he continued. "Speaking of fun, Devon's stopping by in the morning for me to sign some papers. We finalized the deal on the Bond's office. Once I sign it's officially a Rangeman property."

"So does that mean you're my boss?"

"Babe," he 200-watted me, "there _is_ no boss of you. Let's call Bobby." And with that he picked up the phone and dialed on speaker. "Brown," he growled into the phone when Bobby picked up, "Report."

"Manny's been released and we have him and Mariella in that apartment on four. He has bad headaches but he's talking and making sense, so that's a good sign. We saw Cagiano sitting in his car outside the Plum residence again. I'd like to take him down and deal with whatever consequences arise from that. He's an annoyance at best. And lastly, I understand the Bond's office deal went through. Congratulations."

"We can't take him down without some kind of just cause; he's a federal agent. The repercussions will bite us in the ass. Tank was supposed to speak with McHugh again today. I haven't heard from him, have you?"

"Negative. I haven't spoken to Tank at all today," Bobby replied. "That's very unlike him. I hope everything is ok."

"I'll call him when we hang up. Anything else?"

"No, but I saw a reservation on Pardo's NetJets account. Monmouth direct to Cyclades. That you?"

"Yeah. Until things are straightened out with McHugh, we need to get out of the country. Too many people know where we are and now that Cagiano is in hot persuit of Steph, I'm afraid someone may slip. You and Tank are the only ones who know we're moving. Keep it that way. I'll be in touch," and he disconnected.

He turned and spoke to me even though I overheard both sides of the conversation, "I need to call Tank. He never called in today," and with that he dialed again. The phone rang five times before going to voicemail.

"Want me to try Lula?" I suggested before he could ask.

"Please."

So I pulled my phone out of my bag and hit her number. Lula picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey girlfriend, what's up?" Lula answered, obviously seeing it was me calling.

"Carlos was trying to reach Tank and his phone went to voicemail. Is everything ok?"

"Um, we've kind of been at the hospital since this afternoon."

"Lula, what happened?" I interrupted.

"We were on the catamaran, pretty close to shore when a stingray jumped on board. Tank picked him up to throw him back in the water and he got stung," she told us. Once she started to talk and I knew it was something Carlos should hear too, I put the phone on speaker. "The barb got stuck in his armpit," she continued. "I guess it hurt a lot, I've never seen him in such agony. We somehow got the boat back and tied it up. Then Tank passed out."

"Where are you now?" I prodded, trying to get Lula to tell us the story.

"We're still at the hospital. Tank had to have surgery to get the barb out. They want to keep him overnight for observation, but he doesn't want to stay. He's fighting with the doctor now."

"I hope he used his Roscoe Abernathy alias. I would hate for someone to find you because of United Healthcare," Carlos interjected.

"When the ambulance arrived I showed them my card," Lula informed us. "Tallulah Abernathy is the name listed and I told them my husband was Roscoe, so we're good."

"Lula, do you know if he spoke with McHugh today?" Carlos asked after the name thing was all squared away. "I'm pretty sure he had a one o'clock."

"McHugh was a no-show. Tank wasn't too happy about that. I think he was going to try to get in touch with him tomorrow at the same time. I gotta go, I hear Tank yelling," and she hung up.

"That doesn't sound good. Didn't the Crocodile Hunter die from a stingray barb? Tank should probably stay overnight." I thought out loud.

"Babe, Tank has been through worse than this. If he thinks he's ok to leave, then he's probably ok to leave. And you don't want to get Tank angry...I'm pretty sure the doctors are finding that out the hard way."

Carlos paused for a second then continued with another thought. "Hey Babe, have you been in touch with Morelli since we found out that Cagiano was the guy who broke into your apartment?"

"No, I figured he'd get the info anyway and I really didn't want to call him. The last conversation I had with him pissed me off. I didn't like what he was saying about you."

"I think you should call him. We may need an ally. We can't take Cagiano down, but TPD may be able to if he committed a crime. Breaking and entering is breaking the law as far as I'm concerned." I looked at him strangely when he said this. Since when did Carlos consider B and E a crime?

"You want me to call him now?" I asked.

Carlos nodded, so I pressed the 'Joe' button and waited. He picked up after two rings and I put it on speaker for Carlos to hear.

"Hey Cupcake, what's up?" He started and I felt myself wince at the Cupcake mention.

I wanted him to know that this was a business call as soon as possible so I said, "Carlos and I were just talking and I realized I never called you back after we got the results of the prints. The guy that broke in was Robert Cagiano. He's a CIA Special Activities Division agent. I assumed you'd gotten that information from one of your other sources, but Carlos thought you should hear it from me."

"I was going to call you. I understand he had a conversation with your grandmother and has been watching your parents' house for signs of you. We have our eyes on him, but I can't figure out his motive."

Duh, like a million dollars isn't motive enough, I thought. "I guess he wants the money," I answered.

"The money? Steph? What are you talking about?"

"You don't know? There's a million dollar bounty on both Tank and Carlos. The government is willing to pay two million dollars to get these guys behind bars. Isn't that sick?"

"They probably have a reason. They don't do things like that for nothing." He stopped as if thinking, then continued with, "If you wanted to make a quick mil, _you_ could turn him in."

That really pissed me off. "Joe, what a terrible thing to say! I would never do that. Why would you even think that?"

I heard him breathe out loudly before answering. "I was just kidding. And since when are you so touchy?"

Since I realized you're such an asshole, I almost said before filtering my mouth.

"Joe, can we please be civil?" I finally said, flashing on Carlos' ally comment instead of hanging up on him like I really wanted to do.

"I'm trying Cupcake, but knowing you're with that maniac makes it hard."

I'd just about had it and I couldn't hold back anymore. "Oh, but it was ok for you to fuck around with Terri and play house with me? That was ok, Joe?"

"You think he wouldn't do the same thing given the opportunity?"

"I know he wouldn't."

"He's a man Cupcake. When are you going to realize our dicks take precedence over our brains?"

"Joe, I don't like where this conversation is going. Can we either get back to Cagiano or end this call?"

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still having a hard time taking him seriously. I don't want to see you get hurt."

As if you didn't hurt me, I almost said before realizing that wasn't going to move the conversation back to Cagiano. I looked up at Carlos in exasperation…half hoping he'd have a solution that didn't include me hanging up. He just shook his head.

"Joe, we'll talk another time, ok?" I said before disconnecting.

"I just couldn't," I said to Carlos as the excuse for my behavior.

"Babe, you know he's wrong. I would never do that to you and all men are not alike. I'm sorry I asked you to call him. I thought he might give us some information, but obviously he's keeping tight-lipped...if he knows anything at all."

Carlos looked at me intently for a second, trying to judge my frame of mind, before adding, "Come here, let me hold you, Babe."

It felt so good being in Carlos' arms. I felt loved, protected and happy. And I knew Joe was wrong...Carlos would never hurt me.

I woke up totally entangled in Carlos. "Mmmmorning Babe," he said as he kissed me. He pulled me close and kissed me again, his fingers grazing my breast. I could feel him harden against my stomach as he touched me. God I loved this man.

I suddenly had a thought and couldn't help but ask. Turning into his warm chest, I snuggled to him. "Carlos, what do I feel like to you when you're inside me?" I asked, truly wanting to know.

Carlos laughed quietly and pulled me closer to him. "You feel like heaven."

"But what does it _feel_ like?" I asked again, not quite satisfied with the generality of that answer.

"You feel like warm velvet. Dios, it gets me so hard thinking about what you feel like. It's like being enveloped in warm, living velvet. Babe, mmmm, I think we need to go for test drive to make sure I'm remembering this right," he wolf-grinned and kissed me.

Starting at my neck, he used his mouth to love my body. Kissing and gently caressing me with his lips and tongue, he moved from my neck to my shoulder to the area between my breasts. "I love kissing you. Your skin is so soft. Dios."

His mouth moved down my body as he spoke, running his tongue along my inner thigh. He licked me behind my knee and I got goose bumps all over me. I guess I shuddered because Carlos stopped. "Babe, did you like that?"

I nodded yes, because all I could do at the moment was nod. "Do you know there are ten erogenous zones on your body?"

I shook my head no and he continued, showing me as he spoke. He took my wrist to his mouth and started nuzzling and nibbling it. While it wasn't the biggest turn on in the world it felt really nice. "Babe, spot number 1, your wrist."

He then moved to my ear and took my lobe in his mouth. He licked the area under the lobe and moved his tongue down towards my neck. "Number two, your ear,'' he whispered as he moved to my neck, which has always been one of my favorite spots for him to kiss. "Your neck is number three," and he sunk his teeth into it, making me jump then shudder with pleasure. He spent some time nuzzling and nipping this area before he moved on to my mouth. He kissed me and took my lower lip into his mouth and gently sucked on it. "Four, your lips,' he said very erotically, looking into my eyes.

"Five, your inner thigh. Six, behind your knees," he said, still kissing and nipping my lips.

"Seven your feet," he said, moving his mouth from mine to the arch of my foot and licking; sending this incredible rippling effect through my whole body.

He rolled me onto my stomach and started to lick an area right above my ass. Oh my God, I thought I was going to die, it felt so good.

"Babe, this is one of your most intoxicating erogenous zones. This is number eight." And he let his tongue glide down the cleft of my ass.

"Oh God, Carlos," was all I could get out, my body tingling from all the stimulation.

"Number nine are your breasts," he said still paying attention to my ass. "And number ten is your vagina," he said and he entered me from behind. I must have moaned loudly, the unexpectedness of his sudden movement exciting me.

"Babe, this is another good position for me to stimulate your g-spot with my dick," he whispered as he dove into me.

I remembered my lessons and tightened my muscles around him as he plunged in and out of me and I heard him moan, "Dios, Babe you're so tight and wet, you feel so good. You're just like warm velvet."

He reached around and massaged my clit as he pumped me, using the juices that were pouring out of me for lubricant and I came loudly. "Oh God, Carlos."

He was hitting that spot with his dick as he thrust into me again and again and the waves of orgasm just kept erupting. I felt him pump one more time and I went over the edge in a long, deep release. He thrust into me again. I felt him shudder and I knew he let himself ejaculate into me.

Heaven doesn't get any better than this and we lay in each other's arms while we got our breathing under control. "I love you so much," I heard him whisper in my ear.

"I love you too, Carlos," I mouthed, not quite being able to say any more than that at the moment.

We had just showered together and were getting dressed when the gate buzzed. As there is a video keypad in just about every room, Carlos went over to the one in the bedroom while I finished putting some mascara on. "Babe, it's our delivery," he said to me as he buzzed them in and left to get the groceries.

My curiosity got the better of me and I went out to see what Carlos had ordered and to help put things away. "What is this?" I asked looking at a rather large item, wrapped in brown paper.

"I told you I was going to make a leg of lamb, this is it."

"That's a pretty big leg for a little lamb. But then I guess we'd need something that size for all of us. If we count Rangeman, I think we have twelve people," I said, doing the math on my fingers and finally running out of digits.

"It's just ten, Binky and Hal aren't going to stay. They are dropping my family off then going back out on watch. But I thought people might want to take some leftovers home with them. I'm going to grill some chicken too," he said, pointing to the other brown-wrapped package. I also ordered salad makings, potatoes, asparagus…" he continued, pulling items out of the box that was delivered.

"Ella's sending appetizers and some other things she made with Cal and Ram when they come on duty later. We just need to keep everything refrigerated. I'm not cooking until Sunday morning."

"Babe, I want to hit the gym before Devon gets here. Do you want to join me?" Carlos asked after we finished putting everything away.

It's not that I have anything against exercise really…I'd just rather not do it. But since I hadn't done much running since Florida, I agreed and went off to change.

We were running side-by-side on the treadmill when Carlos started to speak. "I have an idea about Cagiano," he said, looking over at me before continuing. "He's in the Special Activities Division. Do you know anything about that?"

I nodded my head no and continued running while listening to Carlos.

"The CIA has always had a Special Activities Division, we call them SAD. They use this division to secretly carry out special operations missions. If there are missions in countries that the US military special operations forces can't go to, these are the guys that go in."

I still didn't understand what he was telling me or what that had to do with me.

"I'm not sure I understand," I said, only slightly out of breath from running, and then waited for him to clarify.

"When I was in Special Forces I led a large group of men. My name and reputation were very well known. Well, most of these SAD guys are ex-Special Forces…we may have run into each other before and he may have some kind of personal vendetta…"

I pushed the slow down button on the treadmill and hopped onto the sides. This trying to carry on a conversation while running was for the birds. "You don't think he's teamed up with Garcia and Pearce do you? They seem to be out for revenge too?" I broke in when my mind leaped to other possibilities.

"I think Cagiano travels alone. These SAD guys wouldn't team up with ex-Rangeman employees just to get even, but it's interesting to me that both parties seem to be after me at the same time."

"You don't think he's after the bounty then?" I asked since Carlos was sharing.

"No Babe, I don't. I think he's after me. And he's either after me for some kind of retaliation or he's being paid by the government to find me. Something about that last mission was off. I don't think I was supposed to get out alive."

I winced at his last comment. These last few weeks have brought us so close together…I couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have Carlos in my life. And if he hadn't come back at all, I don't know how I would have fared. Probably not well.

I stepped back onto the treadmill and began a slow walk. "Carlos, are you saying that he may be looking for you to kill you?"

Carlos was still running at his fast pace, not even winded or sweating. He only had a slight glisten to his skin. "Yes Babe. Now that my contract is up, I'm expendable."

"Do you think McHugh will be able to protect you? Do you think this will go away if the courts martial are reneged?"

"Hard to say Babe, but let's just take this one step at a time."

"Carlos, are our families going to be safe? If they are after you and they know about me, aren't we putting our families at risk?"

"Babe, that's why we put Rangeman surveillance on all your friends and family the other day…mine has been a constant."

"Do you think someone similar is after Tank and do they know about Lula?"

"Unfortunately, that is exactly what I think. Lula doesn't have any family, does she?"

"She has a cousin Ernie that I know about but I've never met. I don't think she has anyone else. I'm not sure how close they are, but knowing Lula she probably told him that she was leaving the country with Tank."

"Shit. We have to find Ernie before anyone else does." He took his phone out of the well on the treadmill's control panel and punched a number. "Brown. I was just hashing out some of the scenarios we've been talking about with Steph and she mentioned that Lula has a cousin Ernie. Don't have a last name, but we need to find him ASAP." And he disconnected.

After Carlos hung up with Bobby, we continued our run in silence. Carlos brought me back to reality when he touched my arm. "Babe, Devon is going to be here soon. I want to take a quick shower. I can use one of the ones here if you want to shower in our bedroom."

I nodded in agreement then a thought hit me. "Carlos, Connie's met Ernie. I'm not sure if she knows how to get in touch with him but he's been to the Bond's office to see Lula. Is it ok if I call her?"

"Your phone is safe. It's ok to call her."

As I walked back to the house to shower I called Connie's cell, not sure where she would be on Good Friday. "Steph," she answered, "I'm so happy to hear from you. I guess you've heard the news. Harry sold to Rangeman."

"Yes, Carlos told me a couple of days ago when they were in negotiations. At first I was worried for you, but he assured me you and Vinnie would be ok."

"Are you coming back soon? Lester Santos has been handling your skips while you've been on your extended vacation, so I'm not worried about that, but I miss you and Lula."

"Well, I'll be out at least another week. I guess we both will. Connie, do you know how to get in touch with Lula's cousin Ernie?"

"Why? Is she ok? She's not hurt is she?"

"No, she's fine. Actually Tank had a little accident, but they are both fine now. Carlos just wanted to get in touch with him."

"I don't have a phone number. But I think if I call Shirleen, Lula's friend who has that nail salon near the courthouse, I can get one. Can I call you back?"

"Yes, Carlos says this is a secure line." Funny though, because it's my old number and that wasn't secure. "Call me back when you find something out." We said our goodbyes and I jumped into the shower for a quick rinse.

Just as I came out, I heard my phone ringing and ran out to get it, dripping all over the floor and flokati rug. I looked at the display and saw that it was Connie. "Any news?" I answered.

"Got a number, want me to text it to you?"

"Thank you Connie, yes text it to me, that would be great."

I went back into the bathroom to dry off when I heard by the ding of my phone that I had a text. Bless her heart, that Connie is a Godsend. I thought Carlos should have the number right away, so before I moisturized or dealt with my hair again I forwarded the text along with a short declaration of love.

"C–Ernies # from Con. I 3 u. S–"

"I 3 u 2 Babe. Thnx" flashed on the screen as I dropped my phone on the bed to finish up my post-shower ritual.

When I was as good as I was going to get, I padded out to see if Carlos had gotten in touch with Ernie or if Devon had arrived yet. Carlos was in his office on the phone and he ushered me in. I heard him say, "Well let's try to keep him safe," so I assumed he was talking about Ernie. If he was anything like Lula, that wasn't going to go over very well. Carlos listened and finally disconnected.

He turned to me, "We spoke with Ernie. Santos tried to convince him to stay in one of our safe houses in Newark. He said he had to show up to his job or he'd get fired. I don't think he understands that if he doesn't lay low, he could get killed. We're checking him out now…we just may have to hire him to keep him safe. We can always use a good mechanic."

"Seriously Carlos? Rangeman is going to hire Ernie?"

"Yeah Babe, we're running some checks on him right now. If he's as good of a mechanic as we hope he is, Bobby's going to offer him a job. I hate how some people will just threaten others with termination if they need to take time off. And this way we won't have to put him in a safe house, he can have one of the studios on four."

"That's very generous of you."

"Tank says he's all Lula's got, I'm not taking any chances."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.

Fredda had a chance to read, edit and suggest. She made some great suggestion, I made some fixes and am reposting!

Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 21 _The Blue Car_

It was after one when Devon arrived. There were a lot of papers, but they were all flagged with Post-It X's for easy signing and Carlos buzzed through them in a matter of minutes. The whole process didn't seem very celebratory to me. I mean after all, _Rangeman_ just bought the _Bond's office_. I didn't know the selling price, but I'd gathered it was probably in the millions. It was quite a profitable piece of business. And for Carlos to just put down a pen and hand the last paper back to Devon seemed kind of matter of fact. Maybe I was just too much of a romantic.

"What, no champagne?" I said as Devon sorted through the signed papers and put them back into some kind of order.

"There's some in the refrigerator if you really think the occasion calls for it," Carlos replied.

"I do. It might not seem like a big thing to you, but if you think about it I only have one boss now."

"Ok Babe, get the champagne and bring three glasses. Actually, why don't we go into the kitchen…that's a lot for you to carry."

I got the champagne out of the refrigerator while Carlos found some crystal flutes and a black lacquered tray. I was taking the foil off the top of the bottle when Carlos turned and watched me. "You really should be careful, that could explode as soon as you take the wire off. I would put a towel over it."

"It'll be fine," I said and started to twist the wire.

"Babe, champagne corks travel at 50 miles an hour. They can do a lot of damage. I would hate for anyone to get hurt." Carlos said as he took the bottle from me. He put a towel over it and twisted the muselet away. He then turned the cork slightly and we heard a gentle pop. The only thing that escaped was a little steam. Damn that perfect man.

He handed the now opened bottle back to me, "You can pour if you want."

I took the bottle from him and poured some into one of the flutes. It immediately overflowed the glass and Carlos looked at me questioningly, "Babe?"

"Sorry. I guess my mind was someplace else. My dad used to let the cork explode into the ceiling and then we'd all laugh. I never realized it could do damage. The walls and ceiling in our house are plaster over this wire mesh. My dad couldn't even drill into it. I guess it was pretty indestructible."

"I was more worried about someone getting hurt than I was about the ceiling. Here," Carlos picked up and handed us each a glass of champagne, " let's toast to Rangeman's latest venture."

"May it live long and prosper," I said, paraphrasing Mr. Spock as the three of us clicked glasses.

I took a couple of sips of the champagne and as I felt my face flush, a thought struck me. "Carlos, I was going to tell Joe about the photo that was taken from my apartment but with all the stuff he was saying about you, I never got to it. I don't want to call him back and get into it all over again, and he rarely checks his email. I think the fact that Cagiano removed that picture is important. What do you think?"

"Who is Joe?" Devon asked when he saw my pained expression.

Carlos answered, "He's the detective assigned to the case. He's also Stephanie's ex-boyfriend and he hasn't been very cooperative. He seems more interested in slandering me than he does moving the case forward."

"Ouch," Devon shuddered. "Do I detect a little jealousy there?"

"Ya think?" I interjected and rolled my eyes. "So Carlos," I said trying to move the subject from me and Joe back to the picture, "what should we do about that shot?"

Carlos walked out of the kitchen and came back with a package wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to me and nodded that I should open it. I removed the string and the paper fell away. It was the picture of Carlos and I that Lula took. It was blown up to about a 5x7 size and framed in a really pretty antique silver frame. It looked great.

"How did you do this?" I questioned. "I've never had any luck blowing up pictures from my phone."

"Hector did some Photoshop magic. It came out really nice didn't it? Show Devon." I passed the framed photo over.

"This is really a wonderful picture of the two of you," he said, looking at it and then looking back at the two of us for comparison. "Is this the picture that was stolen?"

"It's the same image, but mine was smaller and it wasn't framed." And then

I turned to Carlos, "Thank you for doing this, it's wonderful."

"I told you it would look good on the mantle," Carlos grinned at me. "I thought it might be nice for our families to see some pictures of us together. Hal showed me one that he took in the garage a couple of years ago. I passed it on to Hector so we can blow that one up too."

Domestic Carlos was really scaring me. Next thing you know he'd tell me he made cupcakes. Ugh, scratch that thought...an apple pie.

"I took one at the Greek restaurant last week," Devon said and pulled out his phone to find it. "It was right after you guys signed the papers."

I winced remembering what kind of mood I left the restaurant in that night. I doubted any picture of me would look good, but when Devon found the picture and passed his phone over to us, I was completely surprised. Carlos had pulled me to him and we were looking into each other's eyes and smiling. We looked completely in love. It was a fabulous picture and I wanted it.

"Devon," I asked, "can we get a copy of this too? Carlos, it's recent, those other pictures are old. It might be nice to have a current shot too."

Carlos took Devon's phone from me to look at the picture again. "Devon, can you forward it to Hector?"

Obviously pleased that we liked this picture that I didn't remember him taking, he nodded and sent it off.

"Babe," Carlos said, "getting back to Morelli, do you want me to call him?"

"Uh, could you? I really don't want to talk to him right now."

"Yeah, give me your phone. I want to hear what he says when he thinks I'm you calling him."

The things these guys thought were fun still baffled me. I didn't even know what to say to that, so I just handed him my phone and hoped for the best.

"You have him in your contacts list?" Carlos asked scrolling through my stored numbers.

"Yes, under 'Joe'."

Carlos put the phone on speaker, pressed the contact and held my phone out for all three of us to hear. Joe answered sounding a little pissed, "Cupcake? Is everything ok?"

"Morelli it's Manoso," Carlos answered his annoyed tone. "Stephanie asked me to call you. She wanted me to let you know that Cagiano took something from her apartment. It was a picture of the two of us holding each other close. It was a shot Lula took about a year ago," he said, giving Joe just enough information to put two and two together...we were still seeing one another then.

"Are you rubbing it in, Manoso?" was Joe's response.

And when Carlos didn't answer, Joe continued." And I need to know this why?"

"It says Cagiano was looking for some kind of proof that Stephanie and I were connected. I'm sure he's looking for me and planned to use Stephanie to get to me."

"Are you going to put her in danger Manoso?"

"My plan is to keep her as safe as possible. I would never deliberately put Stephanie in harms way. I care about her too much."

When Carlos said those last few words to Joe, I held my breath. I wasn't sure how Joe was going to react, or if it would start a whole chain reaction.

"Oh, I'm sure you do, Manoso. I'm really sure you do," Joe challenged.

I could tell this was going to turn into a pissing match and I wasn't up it, so I looked over at Carlos and mouthed, "He's egging you on, just hang up."

"Morelli, I was giving you this information to help your investigation, not to make you angry. We don't have to like each other, but we do occasionally have to work together, so I'd like this conversation to end on a civil note."

"Noted," Joe responded and hung up.

"Having heard _that_, I really don't want to meet the man," Devon said, putting his barely-touched champagne back on the lacquered tray. "I have to get back to Trenton for a meeting that I have to prepare for. I'll see you guys soon," he said getting up to leave.

Carlos ushered him through the door then went over to the video keypad and remotely opened the gate. As he was doing this, he stopped suddenly and called me over. "Stephanie, have you noticed that blue car across the street before?" He asked, pointing to a car one of the remote video monitors picked up during its scan. "I think it was there earlier when I buzzed the delivery truck in too. There's no parking on this street. Someone must be in that car with the motor running. I'm going to call Hector, he can pull a plate and zoom in on the car remotely to see if anyone is inside."

He did some magic thing on the keypad and I heard Hector pick up and greet Carlos in Spanish. They were using the intercom like a phone and I could hear both sides of the conversation, although I couldn't understand a word they were saying. While he was talking, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"Babe can you call Devon and let him know he may have a tail. He's in my contacts under 'D'. He's trained and he can lose it if he has one, but I'd rather he know to look than to find out the hard way."

I did as I was told and let Devon know what I knew, which wasn't much.

Carlos was still talking away in excited Spanish with Hector when I hung up with Devon. We were watching the remote feed when a shiny black SUV came up and parked behind the blue car. Someone got out and walked up to the drivers' side of the suspect car. I could see the man jump back suddenly as if punched in the chest. Carlos pushed another button on the keypad and said, "Rangeman down," and gave our address.

Before Blue Car could take off, someone was out the other door of the black SUV and had a gun to the occupant's head.

"Shouldn't we go out Carlos? That man was shot," I said, suddenly mobilized and ready to go. Watching all this on remote feed made me want to get out and be a part of the takedown.

"Babe, we need to stay safe. There are other Rangeman patrols in the neighborhood. We service a number of estates here. Someone will be along any second."

As he reassured me, two shiny black SUVs pulled up, blocking in Blue Car. Carlos was still speaking with Hector and I felt left out. I watched some Rangeman I'd never met pull a man out of the blue car with the gun still to his temple. This happened very quickly and I was in awe of the agility and professionalism of the responding Rangemen.

Once Carlos knew the threat was over, he turned to speak to me. That car is untraceable...there's no such plate fitting no such model. Ours guys should be able to get him to talk though. They're taking him into lockdown in Trenton. Cal is going to work on him for a while."

I shuddered at the thought, remembering Cal got Esposito to talk.

"Pedro Velasquez is the man that's down." Carlos continued. "He was wearing a vest but he was shot at close range, so I'm going to assume bruising at minimal and probably a broken rib or two depending on how the bullet hit the vest. We called for an ambulance so expect the police to show up too. The story is he was shot doing surveillance and the shooting car sped off. Babe, the police will probably ring our bell, remember we are Marc and Samantha Pardo. If you need to address me, please remember to call me Marc. But if you want to be on the safe side you can stay in the apartment next to the gym. I'll just say you are out."

"No, I'll be fine. I want to stay here with you," I said, watching the feed as one of our men in black put on gloves, got into the blue car and drove away. "Hmm," I said to myself, "I wonder what they are going to do with that car?"

"It's going to Trenton. We'll need to pull some prints and DNA. We need to know who that was and why he was outside the Pardo's estate."

I guessed I didn't say that to myself after all. Maybe I would be better off in the apartment. Just as I was musing to myself, an ambulance and police car arrived. Pedro was put on a stretcher and an IV was started while the cops spoke with his partner. I saw him point over to our house, which had an oval "protected by Rangeman" sign on the gate. I'd give them ten minutes at best before they were knocking on our door. It was leave now or never. I decided to stay.

Sure enough a couple of minutes later our gate sounded. Carlos buzzed them in and we went to the door to greet them.

"Marc Pardo," Carlos said with an outstretched hand, "and this is my wife Samantha."

"Officer Reynolds, Belmar PD," he responded, not taking Carlos' hand. "Did you see anything?"

"We have a pretty elaborate security system, Rangeman monitors it. When I saw that same blue car idling across the street twice today, I called them. We were watching the video feed when they showed up. One of the security guards approached the car and was shot. The blue car then sped off."

"Can we see the tapes?" Reynolds asked.

"Unfortunately it's a live feed. We don't have a tape backup. I do have the ability to record, but I didn't have that on," Carlos answered him.

"Any idea why that car was parked across the street?" he continued.

"This is a wealthy community. He may have been staking out our house. We just opened it for the season a little over a week ago, and have been staying here since the weather has been so nice. Normally the place would have been closed up so he may have thought no one was here." Carlos answered.

Their conversation was interrupted by another buzz to the gate. Carlos pointed to the video monitor and showed Officer Reynolds what it was capable of picking up as we buzzed in the other cop.

"Pretty cool," Reynolds said and smiled as the multiple cameras tracked his partner's approach. "Why do you need such an elaborate system?" he asked as Carlos opened the door for the other officer.

Carlos went through the outstretched hand and Marc and Samantha Pardo introductions again for the new officer who's namebadge read 'Higgins'.

We were standing in our foyer, so I asked if the officers would like to come inside to talk, and ushered everyone into the living room.

Officer Higgins stopped in front of the Frida Kahlo and looked it over. "This looks like something I've seen before," he said. Carlos explained the painting's questionable authenticity and left it at that.

He then walked over to the mantle and picked up the photo of the two of us. Thank God it was cropped and you couldn't tell Carlos was in full Rangeman regalia when it was taken...including his two guns and a knife. "Nice picture," he mumbled as he looked over at me and put it back down.

I pulled out my best 'Burg manners and asked the officers if I could get them anything. Thankfully both declined and we settled into the couches to talk.

"So tell me again why you need such an elaborate security system?" Officer Reynolds asked, never having gotten an answer the first time.

"I'm a successful businessman, and I try to keep our private lives as private as I can," he answered. "We just bought this place end of last year and one of the first things I did was upgrade security."

I noticed Higgins staring at the ginormous diamonds on my finger and I mentally patted myself for remembering to put them on every morning. I guessed he couldn't contain himself any longer when he asked me, "Are those real?"

I loved being given the opportunity to play along so I answered him as though I didn't know what he was talking about. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"The diamonds on your finger, are they real?"

"Yes, of course they are," I answered, acting indignant.

"Must be nice to be able to afford to give your wife Fort Knox," he said, looking over at Carlos.

I was hoping Carlos wasn't going to say something he'd regret, so when he didn't even bother to grace him with a reply I felt relieved. I wondered why they were treating us like this? We were the ones who called in the security breach, we weren't the suspects.

"So getting back to the blue car," Reynolds interrupted his partner and looked over to Carlos. "Any thoughts?"

"I'm not sure what to think," Carlos began, "but we planned on being out of the country on vacation right after Easter and I'm a little nervous about leaving the house empty now. Even with our extensive security system," he added.

"A few of our wealthier residents let us know when they are going away and we drive by more often than we would on our normal patrol. We can do the same for you," Reynolds offered.

"Thank you, we would appreciate that very much, but I do have a caretaker and I would hate for you to accidentally arrest him. Do I need to give the police department a list of people who have access? How does that work?" Carlos asked him, playing the concerned citizen.

"You can leave us a list of who can come and go along with their license plates and the dates you will be away, and we'll do our best to keep everyone safe," Reynolds answered, now acting more the way I'd expect the police department in an exclusive community to act.

"Thank you. I'll drop that off at the station before we go."

At least _we_ weren't being scrutinized now and I felt myself relax a bit. The officers asked a few more questions that we really didn't have answers to, then got up to leave.

Hal and Binky had been our bodyguards for the day, but I hadn't seen hide or hair of them since before Devon arrived and I wondered where they were. I remembered Carlos saying Cal was the one who was going to interrogate Blue Car Man, so I didn't think they followed the parade back to Trenton. I also knew Cal and Ram were on duty tonight, so whatever _interrogation_ Cal was doing was being done now. So to quiet my curiosity, I asked Carlos after we closed the door on the officers.

"What happened to Hal and Binky?"

"I think they are still in the gym. They didn't need to be in on Rangeman business and I had them stay out of sight once the officers arrived. If you want them, just call them on the intercom and they'll come over."

"I was just curious. I didn't hear you tell them to stay out of sight. Did I miss something?" I asked, my nosiness getting the better of me.

"I pressed the keypad, Babe. We use the same code here that we use at Rangeman, we don't always need words to communicate."

"Can you show me, in case I need to use one of those shortcuts someday?" I asked, all of a sudden interested in this multi-faceted contraption.

"Sure Babe, want me to take you through it now?"

I shook my head no, suddenly not as interested in learning the code shortcuts as I was a minute ago. "We don't have to do that now, but I'd just like to learn at some point," I mused.

"And just so you know, Hector created an app that will let you use your iPhone or iPad to view the video feeds here and at Rangeman from anywhere. I can show you that too. You have them installed on your devices and the same shortcuts will work there too."

Oh boy, Star Wars.

"That I'd be interested in seeing, but let me ask you something first. You told Reynolds that we didn't have a video backup to our live feed, is that true? Or did you just say that so he wouldn't see Rangeman apprehend Blue Car Man or drive his car away? Or do we really not have tape backup? I'm certain I've gone through tapes at Rangeman and if we have the same sys...

"Babe," he flashed me that 200-watt smile, "what do you think?"


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.

Fredda had a chance to read, edit and suggest. She made some great suggestion, I made some fixes and am reposting!

Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 22 _A change of heart_

I wanted to know what Ella made for Sunday and I also wanted to know if Cal got any information out of his _interrogation_, so I nervously waited for the guys to show up for the changing of the guard, while Carlos made dinner.

When I heard the gate buzz open, I ran to the front door like a child expecting a present and let Cal and Ram in. Ram was carrying a large box, cut off at the top and filled with items of assorted sizes. Some were wrapped in white deli paper and others safely sealed inside plastic containers.

I tried to take the box from Ram when he stopped me. "Steph, this is very heavy, Why don't you let me carry it."

I didn't want him to accidentally drop the box, so I backed off and followed behind at a safe distance while we made our way to the kitchen. "Cal," I asked giving up on Ram for the moment, "did you find out anything from Blue Car Man?"

"Stephanie, God you're impatient today. What's with you?"

"Sorry, I guess being stuck inside is finally getting to me." I thought that sounded like a plausible excuse, even though I knew I was just anxious for answers.

The sixty or so feet from the front door to the kitchen seemed like miles. I couldn't wait much longer, so I hoped that once we put the box down someone would tell me something. Once in the kitchen, Carlos took the box from Ram and put it down on the breakfast bar so it would closer to the refrigerator and out of the way of his prep area.

My curious side got the best of me, so I opened one of the plastic containers to see what Ella made. This one contained an onion and asparagus frittata, cut into wedge-sized triangles. It looked fabulous and smelled even better. I put it into the refrigerator and opened another container. This one held what seemed like hundreds of tiny Swedish meatballs. These also smelled really good, so I breathed in deep and closed the lid before giving in to temptation and eating a few. I was about to open another container when I turned and noticed six eyes staring at me.

"Stephanie, what are you doing?" Carlos asked, looking at me rather intently.

"I just wanted to see what Ella made," I said, and was about to open the third container when Ram came over and took it from me.

"Bomber, you make any more of those noises and the three horny men in this room will each have to find a bathroom to take care of business."

I looked at him for a second, not registering what he was saying. "Oh God, did I moan out loud?" I questioned, my face turning bright red.

"Did you _moan_?" Ram answered me back, "Just take a look at my pants…wait, on second thought _don't_ look at my pants!" And with that he walked out of the room to adjust himself while Carlos burst out laughing. "Babe."

"Oh God, I'm so embarrassed," I said when I realized my blunder. "I'm really sorry Ram, I wasn't thinking. Cal, I'm sorry too. Carlos?..."

"Babe, it's ok. We're only human," and he came over and hugged me and I could feel just how human he was.

To change the subject and let everyone cool down, I turned to Cal. "We're you able to get any information out of the guy who shot Pedro?"

"He didn't want to talk and I worked him over pretty good. I'm going to try getting through to him again tomorrow. And Bobby's going to talk with him tonight. He's gotta give sooner or later. Hal's dusted the car for prints and picked up some hair and fibers, so hopefully we'll be able to get something there."

"I really hope it was coincidental. Maybe he was just staking out the place to try to rob us, like Carlos mentioned to the police. I would hate to think that someone found us," I muttered to no one in particular.

"Babe, that's an unlikely scenario. He probably followed someone here, although my men aren't careless. He may not know that Carlos Manoso and Stephanie Plum are living here because we haven't been coming and going, but the likelihood that it was coincidental is very low. As I've said to you many times, we are safe inside these walls. No one can get through our security system, and all our glass is bulletproof, but I'd really like to know who he is, who he thinks we are, and what he wants."

"If Cal can't make him talk, I think we should let Hector have a go. Hector doesn't exactly follow the rules of the Geneva Convention," Ram butted in.

"I'd like to talk to him too," Carlos said. "I think I'd like to have a conference with Tank, Bobby, Santos and Devon. I have a couple of ideas I want to put on the table. Babe, I know I told you 'no secrets' but you'll have to trust me until I mull this over with my core team and my attorney, ok?"

"Of course Carlos, I would never want to get between you and any Rangeman business. I don't need to know everything."

Carlos went to his office to see if he could get Tank, Lester, Bobby and Devon together on a call. I stayed in the kitchen with Cal and Ram and attempted to finish chopping the vegetables Carlos had sitting out. I wasn't sure what his master plan for dinner was, but I wanted to make it easier for him when he finished up his call. I made some assumptions and cut vegetables accordingly. The cucumbers, tomatoes and yellow peppers I guessed were for salad, so I cut them into smaller pieces. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the asparagus Carlos set out so I looked over to Ram who was reading a newspaper at the breakfast bar. "Um," I said, trying to get his attention, "any idea how to cut these?"

Ram shrugged, but Cal came over with his laptop.

"I think I once saw on a cooking show that you just snap them and they break off in the right place, but let's google it to make sure."

"You watch cooking shows?" Ram broke his absorption in his newspaper to ask Cal.

"Yeah, with the strange hours we've been keeping, I put on the TV when I get home to try to relax me before going to bed. Usually the only thing on is Rachel Ray or Lidia's Italian Table. They fascinate me."

"Look, here it is. I knew I wasn't crazy," Cal burst out after having googled something. "See, right here. Look Steph, here's a YouTube video on how to snap an asparagus stalk."

Sure enough Cal found a video and we watched the unique process of grabbing the asparagus and gently snapping.

"Who wants to try first?" I asked the guys.

Ram kept his head in the newspaper, not even bothering to look up at us, but Cal took on the challenge. His seemed to snap easily in just the right place, so that we could discard the thicker part of the stalk and keep the tip and tender part. After seeing Cal do this, I tried next and mine seemed to work too. We were joking and snapping stalks when Carlos came back into the kitchen, looking very serious.

"Babe, can I see you in my office for a few minutes?" He asked.

"Of course." I put down the asparagus I had in my hand and followed Carlos into his office, wiping my wet hands on my jeans as we walked. He closed the door and motioned for me to sit.

"Babe, Tank and I are going to turn ourselves in. We can't keep putting you, Lula and our families in danger and it looks like this is not going to go away anytime soon. Tank is getting a flight back tonight and they're going to come here. We can have our Easter dinner, and they'll join us, but after that Tank and I will fly down to DC. We just made arrangements for a NetJets flight out of Monmouth for ten pm Sunday. I want to go to Trenton tonight to see if I can get our prisoner to talk and to take care of some business in my office. You're welcome to come with me. Actually, I'd really like you to come along; I want to show you some things. Bobby is sending one of the Hummers to pick me up after dinner."

I was dumbfounded. I remembered Tank saying something about a year in prison. "Carlos, what does this mean? Tank mentioned prison time. You aren't going to have to serve are you?"

"I don't know Babe, and I'm sorry to disappoint you about not going to Santorini, but Tank and I have to take care of this. We can't keep hiding out forever and I can't have every wannabe bounty hunter trying to take me down, or trying to get to me through you. We have to play by their rules this time even though I don't like it."

"Can I come with you to DC?" I asked wanting to be in on anything that might take Carlos away from me. "It's ok about Greece. We can go another time. Is it too late to cancel our flight?"

"Both Rangeman and Marc Pardo have corporate accounts with NetJets. It's some complicated math, but we own a quarter of a plane, Marc owns a sixteenth. They call it fractional aircraft ownership. We pay for hours in flight upfront, so it really doesn't matter. Marc cancelled and Rangeman is flying to DC."

Getting that squared away, which really wasn't squared away at all, since I had no idea what Carlos just told me other than Rangeman owns a quarter of a jet, I needed to get an answer to my most pressing question. "Can I come with you to DC?"

"Babe, I don't want you exposed. Yes I would love to have you with me when we speak with McHugh. I want him to see there's someone in my life I care deeply about, but I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger. Can we talk about this further when Tank and Lula get here?"

I nodded my head yes, still trying to take in all Carlos just said to me, especially the possibility of him going to jail. "Carlos, can Devon represent you? Is this like a normal trial?" I asked when my brain thought about the part that comes before the actual jail time.

"Yes, Babe. Tank and I have already secured him as our legal council. He's got some homework to do between now and when we leave, but he's a good lawyer and I'm sure he'll be able to state his case. Let's go finish making dinner, I'd like to eat before we have to leave for Trenton."

"Cal and I cut up everything. We just need to assemble the salad and put whatever it is you were going to make on. And knowing you, that's either chicken or chicken," I laughed.

Carlos looked at me strangely, pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. "Babe."

Cal and Ram were still in the kitchen, in what looked liked the same spots I'd left them in earlier; Ram behind his newspaper at the breakfast bar and Cal behind his computer leaning against the counter. I guessed they were hungry or they wouldn't have been hanging out in the kitchen all this time.

Cal looked at me questioningly and I gave him the 'I'll tell you later' look. It's not that I didn't want to tell the guys what Carlos and I were discussing. Hell, they probably already knew. Rangeman was gossip central. But I didn't want Carlos to think I blabbed about all our personal stuff with his men, even if I sometimes did. Instead I said, "Let's put on dinner. Carlos and I have to go to Rangeman this evening…Bobby's sending a car for us."

Ram nodded as though he'd already heard that and Carlos pulled some chicken (I told you!) that had been marinating in something out of the refrigerator. He looked happy that Cal and I took care of most of the prep work and rinsed the asparagus again before putting them into a glass dish. He nuked them for maybe thirty seconds, salt and peppered them and took them with the chicken out to the grill.

I figured I had a couple of minutes to fill in Cal and Ram but when I opened my mouth, Cal stopped me. "It's ok Bomber, we know. Bobby called us. We're going to stay here and watch the house in case you have some other _company_." Then Ram added, "And Steph if you need us for anything, please don't hesitate to call." I nodded, not exactly knowing what he meant by that and was going to ask when Carlos came back in from the outside.

I guessed the look on my face said a lot. "Babe, it's ok, you can tell them. This is not a secret. And just so you all know, Santos and Brown have been officially put in charge of Rangeman. This is just a precautionary measure in case something happens in DC that will keep Tank and I there longer than necessary for just a preliminary meeting."

Again, I didn't know what this meant. Was he expecting to get locked up? And what did he mean by preliminary meeting? "Carlos…" I started. I needed answers.

"Babe, we'll talk more in the car."

Cal addressed us all, but was basically speaking to Carlos. "Boss, Bobby called us. We're up to speed. We're going to remain here and watch the house while you and Steph go to Trenton. Bobby is questioning whether Devon had a tail and if so the tail might be back watching the house."

"Yeah we spoke about that, which is why he's sending the Hummer. We don't want to take any chances. Tank and Lula are flying back from Turks and Caicos tonight. It's a direct flight into Monmouth. The other Hummer is picking them up and bringing them here. I think they should arrive around 1 am. Steph and I should be back by then, but just in case we're not, can you bring Tank up to speed?"

Cal and Ram nodded and Carlos went out to check on the grill.

We ate pretty much in silence and no one shared any further thoughts on what may or may not be about to happen. I had my left hand on Carlos' thigh while we ate. I wanted to be close, damn I wanted to be close. I had this feeling that we were going to be separated for a while. We saw the Hummer approach the gate just as we finished cleaning up. It asked for access which Carlos provided and I was surprised when Bobby himself came to the door.

Carlos and Bobby greeted one another with one of those man hugs that guys who are tight but haven't seen one another in a while do. Then Bobby came over to me and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I guessed he didn't know what kind of mood I'd be in and wanted to let me know he too would be there for me if I needed him.

"Bobby, I need five minutes," Carlos said then turned to me. "Babe, can I borrow some of your Mr. Alexander products again? I want to spike my hair and wear the glasses for the ride. I really would like to remain a little disguised, even if we're just in the Hummer.

"Come with me and I'll give you what I gave you last time." I figured this might be a good opportunity to ask some questions too, so as we walked down the hall to

our bedroom, I asked. "Carlos, what did you mean about possibly being detained? And preliminary meeting? Are you expecting more meetings?"

"I don't know what to expect." He said taking the proffered products and going into the bathroom. I followed him in while he continued speaking. "When we get there they can lock us up or we can meet with McHugh and set a date for our trial. Anything can happen and we need to be prepared for any possibility."

I heard all I needed to hear to state my case. "I'm coming with you to DC. Whatever happens I want to be there."

"Let's talk this over with Tank and Lula when they get here Babe. They are probably having similar discussions, let's air this together, ok?"

I nodded but then thought about something else. "Carlos, Julie will be here in two weeks. She wants to spend time with you."

"I know Babe. We may have to cancel or postpone her visit. I'll know more after Monday."

By his answer to that question I assumed the answer to Maddie's Quinceañera party would be the same, so I didn't bother to ask. One day at a time.

Carlos had finished gelling his hair. He gave me back my products and took his glasses out of a drawer where he had put them for safe keeping. Sexy GQ Carlos was back. God he looked so _hot_ this way.

Carlos noticed me looking him over and sucking on my lower lip to keep myself from attacking him. He grinned, pulled me to him and kissed me. "Babe, I want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you. Nobody can take that away from me. If Tank wasn't on his way to the house, I'd suggest we just stay in the apartment on seven tonight and I love you all night long."

"Mmmmm, Carlos. We can make love after we're back and have had our talk with Tank and Lula. I won't forget your offer," and this time I pulled him to me and surprised him by kissing him and playfully running my hands over his chest.

"Babe, you keep this up and were not going to get out of here anytime soon. Dios, what you do to me."

"Carlos," I whispered, not really wanting to break the mood, "Bobby is waiting for us."

We made our way downstairs and met Bobby. He had already loaded what few things we were taking with us into the car, so together we made our way to the Hummer. The drive into Trenton was fairly routine. No one stopped us or shot at us, and as the gate opened to let us into the parking garage on Haywood, I felt a sense of coming home. It's not like I've really ever lived here, except for short periods of time when I needed a safe place to stay, but nonetheless it felt like home.

I reached for Carlos' hand and he pulled me to him and kissed me. "Dios, I wish this were different and we were coming here to stay. I still would like you to consider moving in with me."

"I've considered it." I said and thought about my conversation with Mary Lou over a week ago. "I probably would have said I needed more time, but we've been together day and night these last few weeks and it feels good. It feels right. I love you very much. And I'm open to trying the move in thing, but I want to keep my apartment for now. Rangeman can use it as a safe house if they need to, I just don't want to give it up yet."

"Your apartment as a safe house? Babe!" That got Carlos' 200-watt smile. God, I loved when he full-out smiled. "That's ok, and I understand your hesitation about giving up your place. But I would love to see you to move in soon, even if it has to be while I'm in DC. My men can help. I don't feel like you're very safe in your apartment right now. Between the feds, those charlatan bounty hunters and who knows who else that's after you, I'd feel better if you were here."

We were interrupted by a knock on the divider and looked up to see Bobby looking back at us, mouthing something we couldn't hear through the bulletproof glass. We were parked so I guessed he was telling us we arrived. We got out of the Hummer and walked towards the elevator.

As Carlos pressed the button for seven Bobby interrupted, "I think you should stop on five first, you haven't been here in over a month. It might be a good idea for the guys to see that you're alive and well."

I was about to say that we saw them all the time when they were on guard duty, but I realized we only saw the same six guys. Carlos had employees numbering around fifty in Trenton. In the hundreds if you counted Boston and Miami.

Carlos nodded and punched five instead. When we got off the elevator all eyes in the control room were on us. Hal and Hector we're manning some feeds on one side of the room and Zero and Vince were watching monitors on the other.

We walked in and Carlos greeted them one-by-one with that handshake/hug thing the guys all did.

Hector spoke first, but of course it was in Spanish and I didn't understand a word he said. I wished Carlos would answer him back in English so I'd at least be able to figure out what they were talking about from a half-sided conversation, but I guessed it was easier for Hector if Carlos spoke to him in his native language.

While they were talking and I was still trying to guess at what they were saying, Hal came over to me. "Steph, I just want you to know that we'll all be here for you, and for Lula too, if Ranger and Tank end up having to serve time." I watched Hal turn bright red from his proclamation.

"Thank you Hal. I really appreciate that. You guys are the best," and I hugged him. I guess all the huggy-stuff was getting to me or I would have remembered how sensitive Hal was. Poor Hal couldn't have gotten any redder.

To help Hal feel more at ease and also because I really remembered we hadn't called Manny or Mariella since they moved into the apartment on four, I pulled Bobby aside to ask about Manny. "Bobby, how's Manny doing? Do you think it would be ok to stop in to see him?"

"He's doing much better. He still has some really bad headaches and won't take the drugs that were prescribed for them, but he's doing ok. I'd call before you stopped by; Mariella says he's been sleeping a lot. You can call them on the intercom. Just hit four six and one of them will pick up."

I walked over to the closest intercom and dialed. A man's voice answered, "Yo, Bobby."

"Sorry Manny, it's Steph. Carlos and I are in the building and we wanted to stop by to see you, is that ok?"

"Hey, Steph. Sure that's fine, we're here. We were just watching TV. God do I hate this sitting around recouping stuff. Bobby won't even let me do desk work until the headaches are gone and I'm bored out of my skull. We'd love to see you."

"So Manny, are you saying you only want to see us because you're bored," I joked with him.

"Come on Steph, you know what I mean."

"Just checking, Manny. We'll see you in a little bit. Carlos is still catching up with the guys."

I hung up and noticed Carlos looking at me. "Babe?"

"I called Manny. We really need to stop in and see him. It's the right thing to do."

"Babe, you really do make a great 'bosses woman'," he smiled, pulled me to him and kissed my forehead. "I really mean that, you're a much nicer person than I am."

I just rolled my eyes at him. We said goodbye to the guys in the control room and walked over to the stairs to go down to four to say hello to Manny. The plan was for a short visit, because Carlos wanted to show me some things up on seven and he wanted to talk to the prisoner they had in lockdown. I actually hoped it was just talk.

Mariella answered the door when I knocked, and we went through the whole huggy-kissy thing with both of them. Manny looked good, but really tired. I never understood how you could lay around all day and still look tired, but it's something I've noticed before, especially on people who've just gotten out of the hospital. Mariella offered us coffee, but we declined. We really couldn't stay and didn't want her to have to go through the bother.

"We really just came to see how you're both doing," I said. "I guess you know what's going on. I'm sure Carlos and Tank's decision is top Rangeman news?" I asked, more to make conversation than to go over this another time.

"Yeah, good luck man. We're all praying for you," Manny said to Carlos. "Bobby and Santos will do just fine, but we're all hoping you and Tank get off scott-free."

"Thanks Manny. I don't know about scott-free, but we're hoping to get to the bottom of this. Something just doesn't seem right. But we didn't come here to talk about me, how are you doing?"

"I'm ok...going a little stir-crazy just sitting here with nothing to do."

"A little?" Mariella broke in, obviously annoyed at Manny's behavior. "He paces back and forth all day, and then he falls asleep from exhaustion. Another week and the carpet from the living room to the front door is going to be threadbare."

"Well if Bobby and you would let me go back to work, I'd have something to do other than watch mindless TV. I think I've already worn my laptop out too. I've googled anything I could think of. I need to do something physical."

Carlos and I smiled at his physical reference. Manny was definitely one of the more physically-driven men at Rangeman. Normally, if Carlos was on the treadmill at five, Manny was on at four thirty.

We chit-chatted a little more, then got up to leave. After we said our goodbyes we took the elevator up to seven. "Babe, I want to show you some things and get an iris scan so that you'll be able to open my safe."

"Carlos, you're scaring me again. Are you sure you want me to be able to access the safe? Hopefully all of this will blow over soon and you'll be back here in no time. I still don't understand why you have to turn your self in."

Carlos looked at me and tucked a curl behind my ear. "Babe, it's the only thing left to do. I want to keep you safe, and I want to get to the bottom of this whole mess. And while I'm gone I need you to stay here, be safe, and have everything that you need."

I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. I couldn't do anything about Carlos turning himself in, but I could be strong for him while he was away. I nodded my head and turned to him while I put on a semi-strong smile. "Ok, if you're sure…lead the way."

"Yes you do Babe, come with me," and he fobbed us in. After he threw his keys down on the silver tray, he took my hand and led me through the bedroom and into the large walk-in closet. He pressed a panel on the side of the door and the back slid open to reveal a decent-sized safe.

"Babe, this safe can only be opened by iris recognition followed by a passcode. See this pad here?" And I nodded.

"It's actually an iris scanner. Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you. Stand in front while it scans your iris and I'll program it to allow you access." I nodded again and stood perfectly still while I saw a red beam pass in front on my eye. "Ok, you're set. You can use the 10-digit password I set up for you a while ago, or you can create one of your own."

"You set one up a while ago?" I had to ask.

"Yes Babe, I told you. I've been planning to have you in my life for a long time. The password I set up for you is R-A-N-G-E-W-O-M-A-N. I thought it would be easy for you to remember, but we can change it."

"No, Rangewoman is good, I like it."

"Ok, so let me show you how to open it. First you stand in front of the scanner for iris recognition. You can try that now since you're set up."

I moved back in front of the scanner and the red beam crossed in front of my eye again. It made a long beeping sound then clicked. "Ok Babe, it recognizes you. Next enter your passcode on the keypad and turn the dial to the right."

I did as instructed and the safe opened.

"Babe, in here is everything there is to know about me...the good, the bad and the ugly. There are things I'd like you to read, but we don't have time for that now. I just want to point out this strongbox. You can peruse the contents when you have a chance. It's open and you don't need a separate key.

"You still have your fob for the apartment right?" I nodded, and he took another fob-like object from the safe and handed it to me. "This is a fob for the house. You can use the same fob for the gate, the house and for the garage. It also works by iris recognition and now that you're set up you can access the house as well on your own."

"I never saw it scan you Carlos?" I asked never having seen him pause for an iris scan.

"The scanner is on the keypad at the gate, it can scan from ten feet, so it scans prior to putting your fob to the pad. If it doesn't recognize you, you'll be denied access, even with a fob. That's one of the reasons I wanted you to come with me tonight, so I could scan you. Only three people have access to the house via iris scan- myself, you and Philipe. Well technically four; Devon has iris recognition for my safe, but he doesn't have a fob for the house."

I was getting surprises left and right this evening. Iris scans, safe access, key fobs and who knows what else. Carlos was still looking through his safe for something, so I guessed we weren't done here yet. I made myself comfortable on the bed to wait and after a few minutes Carlos came over with a box in his hand.

"Babe I want to give you a present. This is a little earlier than I planned, but considering the circumstances, I want to give this to you now."

Carlos gave me the box and I opened it. Inside was a vintage black diamond ring. The setting was beautifully crafted in intricate fluid swirls, the indents distressed with age. I guessed it was platinum, but it might have been white gold. The stone was almost pure black. It was beautiful.

"Carlos, I don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll accept it and wear it and I would be very happy. I bought it for you in Paris, it's circa 1920. It may not fit. you may have to get it sized."

I still hadn't said anything and Carlos seemed to be rambling on.

"Babe?"

"I'm sorry Carlos, this is just so unexpected. It's beautiful. I don't know what to say."

"Say yes, say thank you, say anything. Just please tell me you'll wear it."

I got up from the bed with the ring still in my hand and went over to Carlos. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Carlos I love you very much and I'd be honored to accept and wear your present. It's one of the most unique and beautiful rings I have ever seen. Thank you." And I kissed him again.

I removed the ginormous Jennifer Samantha rings Ella had given to me prior to leaving for Florida with Les, and tried on my present. It was a little big and kept flopping around my finger, but it was beautiful.

"Thank you Carlos," I said again, "it's gorgeous."

"I think you need to have it sized Babe, but it looks really pretty on your finger. Just the way I'd imagined when I first saw it."

I was almost afraid to ask but the words were on the tip of my tongue and just slipped out. "When was that Carlos?"

"When I was coming back from a mission in Eastern Europe about a year ago. It was my first mission after Julie's abduction, and my splintered rib wasn't fully healed yet, which made the mission harder than it normally would have been. I had a day to kill before a flight out of Paris and I went to the Louvre. Right across the street was a three story antique complex with all kinds of military paraphernalia, some furniture and lots of jewelry in the windows.

"I was attracted to the place by the hordes of people window shopping, so I went over to see what they were all looking at. I was about to turn away when I caught sight of this ring. It made me think of you and as I've told you before, I thought about you a lot when I was out on these missions. So I went in and bought it. I knew we'd be together at some point in the future and I saved it to give to you."

"Carlos, that is so romantic."

"Babe." He paused and then continued. "We should get going, I want to talk to our detainee. I'd put your ring back in the box until we can get it sized. Maybe you and Lester can go into town tomorrow. There's a reputable jewelry store there. It'd be nice for you to wear it on Sunday."

"They're going to ask questions."

"Tell them whatever you feel comfortable telling them."

"It's a diamond Carlos. My mother will be calling to get open dates at the Knights of Columbus hall. I don't want to have to go through this with her."

"Then tell her it's just a symbol of my love for you. I'll tell her if that would be easier."

"I need to think about it. Do you want me to come down to the holding cell with you?" I asked, changing the subject. "Are you just going to talk, or are you going to get physical? I don't think I want to see you hurt someone."

"I'm just going to talk. You can come."

I took off my black diamond, put it back into its box and put the box into my bag. I eased the Jennifer Samantha rings back on to my finger and was ready to go. I looked up to see Carlos running his fingers through the spikes in his hair to break them up. I guessed it was time to lose the disguise.

We took the elevator to the basement and walked past the firing range to the holding cells. Carlos nodded to Victor who was guarding the detainee and he let us in.

The prisoner was handcuffed and shackled and Carlos walked right up to him.

"Do you know who I am?"

And the shackled man nodded his head.

"Who am I?" Carlos continued.

"Captain R. Carlos Manoso. Your street name is Ranger," he answered.

"I'm not Captain anymore."

"Not what I hear," he said.

"And what were you doing watching that estate in Belmar?"

"I followed one of your goons there. I thought I might find you."

"Well you really shook up the people who live there. I happen to share the same lawyer with the owner of that house. He intends to press charges."

He nodded and mumbled. "Whatever."

Carlos continued, "So now that you've found me, what do you want with me?"

"Colonel Briggs contracted us to find you."

"Us?"

"Agent Cagiano and myself."

"And you are who?"

"Agent Jason Malone. CIA, Special Activities Division."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.

Fredda had a chance to read, edit and suggest. She made some great suggestion, I made some fixes and am reposting!

Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 23 _Thinking off your feet_

Carlos seemed disturbed by the news that the government had brought in CIA agents to find him. He was sullen and removed on the ride back to Belmar. And only when we got to the gate did he break his silence. "Babe, want to try out your iris recognition?"

"Sure Carlos, what do I have to do?"

"Just take your fob over to the gate as you've seen me do to open it."

I thought there had to be a better way if someone were trying to stay safe. So I asked. "This method seems pretty exposed, couldn't I do it from the car?"

"Unfortunately right now the technology isn't there. The windshield deflects the scan and sends out a false negative. As soon as the technology improves, I'm going the change the scanner. Right now you have to be out of the car, but it's fast. It's already read you before you can even put your fob to the pad. Try it."

So I got out with my fob in my hand and approached the gate. I didn't pause; I just walked up to the keypad and fobbed it. The gate opened for me. As I did this, I thought about the possibility of Carlos having to spend some time incarcerated. Would I come here on my own I wondered? Probably. I think I'd like to bring my nieces and let them swim in the pool. And then I wondered what I had to do to open the pool. Would Philipe do that? Did we have a pool service? And what about landscaping? Or a cleaning service? I'd have to ask.

The car followed me in and I fobbed the gate closed. It's not a very long walk to the house, so instead of getting back into the Hummer, I walked. I was hoping to get there first so I could see if the house recognized my fob too, but that didn't happen.

"While I was fobbing myself in I realized I'd like to come here even if you have to go away for a while, is that ok?" I asked when I caught up to Carlos who was holding the door open for me.

"Of course Babe, this is your house."

"I know, but I wanted to make sure it would be ok, even if you weren't with me. I think I'd like to bring my nieces here to swim. Well at least Angie and Mary Alice, Lisa and Alexa are probably too little. And I was wondering what I have to do to open the pool, if you're not here. Do we have some kind of service, and what about landscaping? We have a lot of trees and bushes?" I was talking real fast to get all my thoughts out before I forgot them.

"Babe, it's all taken care of- you don't have to worry. And we have a cleaning service too. In fact, they'll be here tomorrow and you can meet them. And if you don't like them or the job they do, we can get someone else. But I'm pretty picky about who I let in. I put them all through a rigorous screening process, so we should talk about it after they leave, ok?"

"I'm sorry Carlos. It's just that I'm having all these thoughts jump into my head. I don't even know how to pay them if you're not here. I guess I can use my checking account. I mean, Rangeman seems to be depositing money into it regularly..." I was on another tirade, when Carlos interrupted me.

"Babe relax, it'll all be ok. I have everyone, even you, set up for direct deposit. There is nothing to worry about."

"And that's another thing I've been meaning to talk to you about…"

Carlos interrupted me again, "Babe, come inside, so we can talk."

I was in such a state, I didn't even realize we were still standing at the front door until Carlos touched my elbow and beckoned me in.

"Let's say goodbye to Bobby, then we can talk about this and anything else that's on your mind until Tank and Lula get here."

I nodded and followed him into the living room, where Bobby was talking to Ram and Cal. Carlos interrupted them, "Bobby, Stephanie and I are going into my office to talk, we wanted to say goodbye. Cal or Ram can let you out and we'll do our regular meeting in the morning. Tank and I will take the call from here. I don't know if you still want to try to get any additional information out of Agent Malone, but I'm satisfied that he and Cagiano were here for one purpose, to get me. Since he's being held against his will and he was under a direct order to find me, we probably should let him go, but let's wait until Tank and I have had our meeting with McHugh on Monday. If we wanted to be bastards we could turn him in to the Belmar police for attempted murder on Velazquez. Whatever you think is right Bobby, I'll go along with it."

Bobby grinned as if the later thought appealed to him, then they did their thug hug man-thing. I kissed Bobby goodbye and we went into Carlos' office.

"Listen Babe," Carlos started, after we sat down on the leather couch in his office. "I don't want you to have to worry about anything." He took off my shoes and started to rub my feet as he spoke to me.

"Everything in the Pardo house has been taken care of. I hired crews when I bought the place. The landscapers and cleaning people have been coming around regularly. I had the cleaning crew set up for every two weeks, but if we're going to be staying here, we might want to change that to weekly. All the phone numbers are on my laptop, I'll show you later. Just remember when you call them that you're Samantha Pardo.

"I had the pool level brought down and the tarp put on in the fall. The guys did a nice job and they are scheduled to come back in early May to open it up and get it ready. It looked to me like it needed to be painted and they said they would address that in the spring. So if you see them draining the pool, you'll know why."

I was starting to relax, both because Carlos was giving me answers to my most pressing questions of the moment and because his hands kneading my arches felt so good.

"Babe," he continued, "you're getting direct deposit from Rangeman because you've been working for me. In case you don't remember this was an assignment you took on."

"Carlos, I've been living here with you, this isn't working."

"Babe, I don't know about you, but when I have to change my name and residence and have to my worry for my life weekly, I call that working. And I pay my employees when they work."

"That's another thing. I don't want anyone to think I'm getting special treatment because we're together."

"Babe, no one would question that, I treat all my employees fairly. Hell, I'm even giving Lester and Sybo hazard pay because they're picking up your family on Sunday. Whenever any of my men have to deal with your grandmother, I pay them for a 'hardship of imminent danger'. Their jewels are worth a lot to them."

"I thought you said they volunteered?"

"They did. They volunteered to give up their day off. I'm still going to pay them. The men who have to work holidays usually get double time. I try not to take advantage of anyone. This business is hard enough, I don't want there to be any hard feelings on top of that."

I let what he just told me sink in. "Carlos, I have one more question." He nodded for me to ask, and I continued. "Who did the laundry? I noticed clean sheets and towels and the terry robes in the cabana have been washed a couple of times. Someone even did the clothes I threw in the hamper?"

"I've been doing it, Babe. Why, did I do something wrong?"

"Carlos, you don't have to wash my clothes."

"Why not Babe? If I'm going to do laundry, I can do yours too."

Domestic Carlos was _really_ scaring me.

Carlos picked me up and maneuvered me so that we were no longer facing each other. He was sitting with his back against the armrest and his legs stretched out on the couch. He turned me around so that my back was to his chest, my legs between his, and he had his arms around my midriff. He was nuzzling my neck and he had moved his hands under my shirt to touch my skin. It felt really good when he held me like this. I felt loved and protected.

"Babe, have you given any further thought to getting your ring resized so you can wear it on Sunday? I'd really like for our families to see it on your finger."

"I was thinking I'd wait, my mother is really going to start putting pressure on me and begin making phone calls."

"I can talk to her. I'll tell her that when we're ready we want to have our wedding here. That should stop the calls."

"Carlos, this isn't meant to be an engagement ring, is it?"

"I told you, it's anything you want it to be. Yes, I want to marry you some day, but I didn't plan on this being your engagement ring. I like that you wear it on that finger though. I thought you might want something more traditional for an engagement ring. And I thought we could look at them together when we're ready. Right now, this is just a special gift from me to you that shows the world how much I love you. My love is as deep as that stone is dark. Forever, Babe."

I turned around and put my hands on either side of his face and I kissed him. "I love you so much Carlos, and if it would make you happy I'll go with Lester tomorrow and get the ring sized. I do like the idea, that if we ever got married, of having our wedding here. I love this house."

"Then that's what we'll tell our families," he said, giving me that 200-watt smile of his. "I think they'll be very happy for us."

Carlos went back to nuzzling my neck, then kissing and licking nibbling on every inch of exposed skin he could find. He even exposed skin so he could find more to kiss. I knew what would happen if he kept this up any longer. We weren't exactly known for our quickies and Tank and Lula were due to arrive within the hour. "God Carlos, I want you now, but we're going to have company soon."

"I can make you feel really good in about ten minutes and we can take our time later," he whispered, as he unzipped my jeans and started pulling them off me.

And God, always true to his word, Carlos made me _very_ happy. I had just started to repay the favor when there was a knock on his office door. "Just wanted to let you know that Tank called," came Cal's voice. "They just landed in Monmouth, they should be here in fifteen minutes." I already had his beautiful mocha latte cock in my mouth, and fifteen minutes was certainly long enough, so I just kept up my pace. I loved the way he tasted and I wanted him to feel as good as I was feeling at the moment. We didn't respond to Cal, (well, _I_ couldn't) but then I don't think he expected a response and I kept working on Carlos' dick until I felt his balls contract and him ejaculate into my mouth. He moaned as he came and I knew I had made him a happy man.

He took a few minutes to get his control back before he spoke. "Babe, we really should clean up and get ready for Tank and Lula. I think this office smells like sex, but I like that. Mmmmm, you make me so crazy."

We washed up and changed quickly and while Carlos went into the den to talk to Ram and Cal, I took the bathroom deodorizer into the office and sprayed. I guessed my 'Burg upbringing wasn't going to let company be offended, and I assumed we'd be using this room.

I had just put the deodorizer back into the bathroom, when I heard the buzz at the gate announcing Tank and Lula's arrival. I hadn't seen her in three weeks, so I was looking forward to catching up. What I wasn't expecting was the new slimmer Lula that appeared at the door. God, she looked like she'd lost thirty pounds. "Lula, you look fabulous," I said in lieu of a greeting.

"Tank and I have been exercising every day and I haven't had any fried food in three weeks. Plus all this sex we've been having has done wonders for my skin," she blushed as she spoke, well as much as a black woman can blush.

"The good thing," she went on, "is that I have to buy all new clothes. Everything is falling off."

That was hard to believe since Lula's normal wardrobe consisted of clothes that were at least six sizes too small, but if she wanted to buy all new clothes, who was I to argue?

"And girlfriend," she continued, sticking her left hand into my face as we walked into the living room, "Look, Tankie and I got engaged. For real this time."

I looked over at Tank who was smiling broadly. "Yeah," he said, "I'm not letting this woman out of my life, ever again." And he pulled her to him and kissed the top of her braids.

"Oh, that's _gorgeous_," I said, looking at probably a 3-carat stone. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you." I hugged her and then Tank. I was really happy for her, well for both of them. Lula needed a calming force in her life and obviously Tank calmed her enough for her to lose all that weight in so little time. Then another thought popped into my head; maybe she had better things to do with her mouth than eat. "Stephanie," I said to myself, "you're such a slut."

"Girlfriend," she broke into my thoughts, "how are you and Batman doing? I hope you listened to me and didn't do nothing foolish. You guys look happy, you look like you're getting some," she grinned at me.

"We're good. We've spent a lot of time talking. And a lot more time really getting to know each other. We're good. Carlos gave me a ring too, but we're not engaged..."

"Yet," Carlos interrupted.

"Show me," Lula said, "and why aren't you wearing it?"

"It's too big. I'm getting sized tomorrow. I have it in my bag, I'll go get it." I said and went into the office where I left my purse.

I took a couple of deep sniffs before I grabbed my bag, making sure the deodorizer did what it was supposed to do. Satisfied, I took the box and went back to living room.

I put my ring on to show Lula and Tank. "Oh, that's beautiful," Lula cooed. "But that's a _diamond_, girlfriend. Your mother is going to bust a vein when she sees that. You prepared for that?"

"We'll, we have a story. And maybe she'll be so obsessed with your and Tank's real engagement that she'll forget about me and my ring."

Lula shook her head so violently that the beads on her braids vibrated against each other, sending out a melodic jingle. "Girlfriend, that's so not going to happen."

Tank and Lula looked exhausted, but before we all crashed for the night, I wanted to bring up going to DC. "Tank, I asked Carlos if I could go with him to DC and he thought the four of us might want to discuss it together. I very much want to be there for him, and for you."

"Lula asked the same thing. Ranger, do you think it would hurt if they flew down with us? I mean, even if they lock us up until our trial, the girls can fly back together. And it might help if McHugh met our women. I understand Colonel Briggs will be there too. He's such a crusty old guy, maybe Bomber can help to soften him?"

"I was thinking the opposite. I didn't want them to meet those hard-asses, but maybe you're right. Maybe it can sway their thinking. I'd be game as long as it didn't put Stephanie and Lula into any danger."

Yay, three against one. Looks like I was going to get my way. I loved this democracy thing. And I'd be singing the praises of democracy more, but I was too exhausted.

Just as I was getting really comfortable and about to fall asleep on the couch Carlos motioned to me, "Babe, you look like you're going to drift off right here. Why don't you go to bed and I'll be in in a little while?"

I muttered something, said goodnight to everyone and went off to bed and the promise of 300-count sheets and my nice Tempur-Pedic pillow. I knew I promised Carlos I wouldn't forget his offer, but I really was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

I woke up to the sound of birds. Lots of birds! It sounded like they were mad at something or someone, so against my better judgment I padded to the window to check it out. Sure enough there was a whole flock of birds sitting on the tarp of the pool and perched in the adjoining trees making a racket because Carlos and Tank were out there talking. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. A very unfriendly 6:33 AM smiled back at me. Too early! I tried to go back to bed, but the freaking birds were not stopping. God, I hated birds. I tried putting the covers over my head; I could still hear them. I tried putting the pillow over my head and the covers on top of that. Damn those birds. I gave up and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

I was all shaved, buffed and conditioned when I finally emerged from my steamy oasis and thankfully the birds had stopped doing their thing. I was just about done with my hair when Carlos came into our bedroom and walked over to kiss me.

"Mmmm morning Babe, I missed you last night. You were out cold when I came to bed. I tried to kiss you, but you swatted me away."

"I'm sorry Carlos. You know I would never swat you away on purpose. I must have been dreaming. I don't remember anything until the birds woke me up. What was going on out there?"

"We had an early check-in with Santos and Brown and then Tank and I went to the gym to work out and discuss some things. We didn't want to disturb you and Lula, so we finished up our conversation out by the pool. I guess the birds didn't like us interrupting their usual routine."

"Freaking birds! It was 6:30 in the morning, don't they know people like to sleep in on the weekend?"

"Babe." And he paused while I got over the birds. "I was going to make breakfast, anything in particular you want? I was thinking omelets might be nice."

"Ok, that sounds good. But I want a real omelet. I'll know if you substitute egg whites and low-fat cheese."

"Want to help me chop? This way you can make sure I don't sneak any of the healthy stuff into yours," he said as he kissed me and nuzzled my neck.

He then picked me up and carried me under his arm "screaming tantrum kid style" into the kitchen. Good thing my hair was 98% done, the other 2% would have to wait.

Lula was sitting at the breakfast bar, separating egg whites from yolks when we came in. "Girlfriend, Tank and I have been living on egg-white omelets. I don't want any extra-cholesterol in my food no more."

"My people, our people," and she pointed to her and Tank, "have a tendency towards high cholesterol. Tank took me through all the scenarios if I kept up with all the butter and grease and sugar I was eating. I think you should look at your diet too. Eating the way we have been can take lots of years off our lives, and I for one, want to be here for my man."

Holy shit, I didn't even have an ally in this anymore. Lula was pointing out all my bad eating habits and even though Carlos wasn't, I knew he agreed with her.

While we were having this cholesterol talk, Les and Sybo walked into the kitchen.

"Beautiful," Lester began, talking to me, "Ranger wants us to go into town this morning and get your ring taken care of. He called and they can fit us in at eleven. You're still Samantha Pardo and I'm your husband's cousin, so let's get ready to leave by ten thirty. Lula, you want to come with us?"

"Sure, I'll come. Maybe we can get our nails done while we wait. I need a pedicure too. All that sand ruined my French one."

"I don't think Lester is going to want to hang out with us in the nail salon, but I could use a pedicure too. Les, is it ok?"

"Beautiful, I've been to Mr. Alexander with you. I don't mind and I'll have a chance to check out all the women and catch up on Cosmo. Sy, want to come with us too? I think I saw 'Sex Survey. Thousands of guys reveal what really flips their switches' on the cover of this month's edition. Could be good reading. And women like to see you reading this stuff. Know what I mean?"

"I think I'll pass Santos. But knock yourself out."

I gave into peer pressure and had an egg-white omelet with everyone else. Not too bad, but I could taste the difference. It kind of needed something, like extra butter. I was thinking that maybe I could get a donut in town to offset all the good cholesterol when I realized I had about ten minutes to get ready. I was still supposed to be Samantha, so I slipped my over-the-top rings onto my left hand and was going to put the antique ring on my right, when I thought maybe I shouldn't. It was too big for me and it might fall off and get scratched. So I put it back in the box, threw the box into my bag and went out to the car where Les and Lula were already buckled in.

This was Rangeman karma at its best. We found a spot right in front of the jewelry store and the three of us went in. When I said I was Samantha Pardo the owner Mr. Carl, introduced himself and came right over to help us. I took my Jennifer Samantha rings off and put the black diamond on. "This is a beautiful ring, Mrs. Pardo. Your husband said it was made around 1921. He wanted to know if I could size it without losing any of the detail. We specialize in antique jewelry, so that won't be a problem." He looked over at Lester, "Are you Mr. Pardo?"

"No, he's my cousin. I'm Lester Santos, pleased to meet you," Lester said offering his hand. Lula added to the introductions, "And I'm Tallulah Abernathy," she said, shaking his hand too. Interesting to note, the only one not undercover was Lester.

Mr. Carl took out his ring-sizing contraption and fitted me. I was a size six. The ring was a seven, so he told us he needed to open it up, remove a piece and solder it back together. "Are you sure this is the finger you want to wear this ring on Mrs. Pardo?" He asked before we left.

"Yes, my husband says this is an antique engagement ring and I wanted to be able to switch it out with the one I'm currently wearing. Sometimes, this just attracts too much attention," I said, hoping that sounded like a plausible answer.

He said it would take about an hour, so Lula, Lester and I went off in search of manis and pedis. As we were walking down the street to the nail salon, we passed Officer Higgins sitting in his patrol car. I didn't notice him at first, but when I heard him call my name I turned around. I was taught to acknowledge people that say hello to you, so I walked over to his patrol car and Lester and Lula followed. "Good morning, Officer Higgins. How are you?" I said using my best 'Burg manners.

"I'm good, I see you have a parade with you today."

"Yes, this is my husband's cousin Lester Santos and my friend Lula Abernathy. Lula, Lester, this is Officer Higgins. He was one of the officers that investigated the Rangeman shooting the other day." Both Lula and Lester shook hands and said hello. This is a small town so I assumed he just was trying to be friendly.

"We're having a family gathering at the house tomorrow for Easter and we came into town to take care of some things and for Lula and I to get manis and pedis," I continued trying to make conversation.

"Manis and Pedis?" He looked at me quizzically. I guessed he wasn't married.

"You know, manicures and pedicures?"

"Your cousin getting a mani and pedi too?" He asked.

"My husband's cousin." I corrected him. "No, he's just going to read some magazines while he waits for us."

"He's not one of those queers, is he?" All of a sudden, I wasn't liking where this conversation was headed. What business of his was Lester's sexual orientation? But I really didn't want to piss him off so I answered with a smile.

"No he's straight as an arrow."

"I don't particularly care for all those same sex couples that come here during the summer. And I'm not a big fan of mixed marriages either. I bet you have people staring at you all the time."

When I realized he was talking about me and Carlos, I felt I had to set him straight. "My husband is Cuban, but it wouldn't matter to me _what_ race he was. As you can see, I don't pick my friends by their skin color."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Where is your husband today, anyway?"

"He's working. Listen we really have to go, it was nice talking to you."

We turned and headed towards the nail salon. I was so angry I felt like hitting something. Was this any way for a peace officer to behave? I wondered if we could file a complaint. And I was really proud of Lula for not going rhino on him and as soon as we were safely in our pedicure chairs, I was going to tell her.

"Girlfriend," she whispered to me as soon as we were out of Higgins earshot, "what is _his_ problem? He's lucky I've been working on my anger management issues or I would have been in his face in a second."

"I was wondering if we could file some kind of harassment complaint. Les, what do you think?"

"I think he a bigot and I feel sorry for people who are so closed-minded. But that said, I wanted to fucking rip him a new one. But I know you and Marc have to live in this town so I kept my cool."

I realized Lester referred to Carlos as Marc, obviously it was easier for him to stay in character than it was for me.

When we reached the nail salon and mentioned to the woman behind the desk that Lula and I wanted manis and pedis, we were answered with "pick a color." I guessed she had room for us. I glanced at the shades of O.P.I. and my eye was drawn to the day-glo colors sitting at the end of a row. Bright green, bright yellow, bright blue and this fabulous bright magenta…I had to have magenta toes.

We were sitting in pedicure chairs and getting our feet massaged prior to color being applied while Lula was frantically texting away. All of a sudden my phone dinged that I had a text message, so I retrieved it from my purse to check. It was from Lula. "He made my skin crawl. I wonder if he's a real cop or was he brought in to check us out?"

I texted back, "I thought the same thing the other day."

And she texted, "I just txtd Tank and Rngr to check him out. R there really still people like that?"

I looked up to see what Lester was up to. If Lula texted Tank and Carlos, I was pretty sure Les was up to speed by now...but he was gone.

I really wanted to get my eyebrows waxed while I was here. I was about to forego the torture and go out to see what Lester was up to when I realized I could just text him. And besides, maybe he met a woman and was outside getting a phone number. Les was wily like that.

I texted Les and asked about an eyebrow waxing at the same time. My nail technician nodded in agreement. Good thing I was able to separate my thoughts at the moment or I would have texted Lester about an eyebrow wax and asked the technician where he was. I was done with my pedicure before Lula because she was having rhinestones and curlicues put on her big toes, so I followed my esthetician to the back where she first applied a little baby powder to each eyebrow before topping them off with hot wax and ripping them into submission. This was actually the best eyebrow waxing I have ever had. I hardly felt a thing...it was more of a gentle pull than the yank I was expecting. If it weren't for Officer Hideous, I'd be back here often.

While Lula and I had our nails and toes under the dryer, Les came back into the salon. He winked at me and I knew something was up. I'm not known for my patience, so it was hard for me to sit there when I knew Les knew something I didn't. When a manicurist finally came over to check on our toenails and add a coat of quick dry, I knew we could leave and not risk ruining our pedis. We paid our bill and I practically pulled Lester out of his chair so we could get outside quicker.

"Ok Les, what's up?" I asked after checking my surroundings to make sure Officer Heinous wasn't in hearing distance.

"We'll talk in the car, but I had a conversation with your buddy while you two were pampering yourselves. Don't worry, I didn't blow anybody's cover, but I don't think he is who he says he is and we have Silvio running a search on him right now."

I went into the jewelry store to pick up my ring while Les and Lula got into the car which was parked right outside. It looked beautiful, obviously they shined it up as well as sized it. For now, I put it on my right hand so I could still look at it and remain Samantha. I wondered if I could wear it with a simple platinum band and be Samantha, then take off the band and be Stephanie. I was still musing to myself when Mr. Carl came back with Samantha's black American Express Card and the credit voucher for me to sign. I thought that since I was here now I should at least look. Carlos probably wouldn't mind, I guessed he could write it off as an undercover expense.

"I was wondering if you had any simple platinum bands that would look good with this ring? Now that I am looking at it, I don't think my wedding band will work if I want to wear this as an engagement ring?"

Mr. Carl smiled and took me over to a counter. He pulled out a tray that had lots of platinum bands and gave it a quick scan. His eyes and fingers settled on one that had similar distressing on the edges as my antique ring did. It was actually a really good pairing. Once again I took off my Jennifer Samantha rings and tried on my diamond with this new band. It looked great and it happened to be in my size so I handed Mr. Carl Samantha's black Amex card again and called Carlos on my cell while he was writing up the purchase.

I wanted Carlos to know that I was still in the jewelry store, so when he answered I went right into undercover mode. "Marc, sweetie. I'm still at the jewelry store. I had the ring sized and it looks beautiful, but when I paired it with my wedding band, it didn't work. Mr. Carl, showed me a simple platinum band with similar details and they work beautifully together." I was hoping Carlos would read into what I was trying to tell him.

"So get it Babe, you don't have to ask me. I think I know what you are trying to tell me and I think it's a great idea. Now you'll never have to take my ring off. I trust your judgment, if you like it, get it. And Babe, you really didn't have to call to ask me."

"Thank you, Marc. I love you too. I'll see you in a bit."

"Babe, don't you want to know about Higgins?"

That got my attention, but Mr. Carl was just coming over with the second receipt for me to sign. "Yes, sweetie, I do. But I'm still at the jewelers. I'll be home in about fifteen minutes."

"Good, then you can meet Catarina and Marcella."


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.

Fredda had a chance to read, edit and suggest. She made some great suggestion, I made some fixes and am reposting!

Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 24 _Some answers and then some_

As soon as I opened the door of the jewelry store I knew Lula and Lester had the radio on in the Explorer. You could hear the thumping bass through the closed windows. Hell, you could probably hear it across town. I knocked on the driver's side to get Les' attention so he could unlock the back door for me. I waited, then I knocked again. I finally gave up and took out my phone and called him. I knew he kept his phone on vibrate and I hoped he'd sense it ringing. I saw him reach into his pocket and pull it out. "Lester," I yelled when he answered, so he could hear me above Pitbull. "I've been knocking on your window for the last couple of minutes." He turned and looked at me and I saw him mouth 'shit', lower the volume and hit the door control.

"Sorry about that Beautiful. We were just digging on _International Love_. You took a while, everything ok?"

"Yeah. I just made an unexpected purchase and it took a little longer than I thought it would. I'll show you when we get back to the house, but now I can be Samantha and Stephanie at the same time...sort of."

"I was just on the phone with Carlos and he mentioned something about Higgins. What' up, Les?" I continued, hoping for a preview.

"We'll be back at the house in ten minutes, might as well just go over this one time," and he pumped up the volume again. I gathered the radio was Lester's version of the blank face.

Back in our little gated community, I got out of the car to do my iris recognition thing and fobbed us through the gate. Carlos and Tank were outside the house talking as we approached. Carlos heard the car and turned around with a big grin on his face. Obviously he found out something that he thought was funny.

"Babe, guess what I learned?" He teased, and that grin turned into a full-blown smile.

"Tell me," I said, not wanting to play games right now.

"How bad do you want to know?" He baited, sounding like he was enjoying torturing me.

"Come on, just tell me. Yes I want to know bad."

"Let's go inside. This is good," and he opened the front door to let us in. "Go into my office," he continued as I started to make my way into the living room. "It's up on my computer screen."

Ok he had me now. This better be worth all his teasing. As I walked into his office I tried to look on his laptop, but he was faster than me and closed the screen before I had a chance to see anything.

"Are you two always like this?" Lula asked, looking from me to Carlos. "You're a little annoying. Just tell us what you learned."

Tank was smiling his version of Carlos' 200-watt smile and Carlos was practically belly-laughing. Tank took the lead. "Higgins is currently working undercover for the FBI. His real name in Roger Winter. He seems to mistakenly think Marc Pardo works for Alexander Ramos and has him, and now you, on his watch list. I don't need to tell you that the Ramos family are one of the largest distributors of illegal weapons in the northeast and Higgins thinks Marc is a gunrunner.

"As you know, Marc only exists on paper and we have his occupation listed as "businessman". Well that seems to be the trigger word for anyone dealing in illegal activities. When Pardo bought this house last fall he paid cash for the place and someone, we assume it was the town, thought that was reason enough to investigate him further.

When the search couldn't provide them with a source of income they decided to bring in the FBI for a closer look. Well, whoever did the initial search didn't dig deep enough because we have Marc Pardo owning a management consultancy, a textile manufacturing plant and fashion label. Marc can probably sue for defamation of character, but someone from Devon's firm will probably just pay the mayor a visit with Marc's income tax return and full business disclosures and an apology will be issued."

"Can they do that?" I asked.

"This is an exclusive community, Babe, they can do whatever they want to make sure their citizens are on the up and up. I don't know how Higgins came up with a gunrunner for Ramos though. _Unless!_ " And the lightbulbs went off. "I bet someone spotted us in that Greek restaurant with Devon. I told you it's kind of a 'protected' place, which is why I wanted to go there, but I bet someone got the wrong idea."

"Someone being Higgins?"

"Not sure. But that's who I would assume, now that I know he's the FBI plant checking out Pardo."

"So he's really not an asshole?" I asked.

"I don't know Babe, he still could be. But we think he's just playing a role trying to get further information on Pardo and his _illegal_ activities."

"So what do we do?"

"_We_ don't do anything Babe, we let Devon's firm handle it."

"And you think this is funny, why? It seems like someone's going to have to go through a lot of work to straighten this out."

"We think the association with Ramos is funny. We think my being a gunrunner is funny. And we think the town bringing in the FBI to check me out is even funnier. Fortunately we have Devon's firm on retainer, just for this kind of stuff. I wasn't kidding when I told Malone that Carlos Manoso and Marc Pardo share the same lawyer. On paper they do."

"Ok, so who are Catarina and Marcella?"

Again the 200-watt smile. "Our cleaning service. Come with me, they're in the apartment now." And he dragged me through to the annex to meet our cleaning ladies.

Marcella was the older of the two, maybe around my age. Catarina was probably in her early twenties and about six months pregnant. They were adorable. Both had very bubbly personalities and were speaking Spanish to each other when we walked in, but switched to English when they saw me. I guessed Carlos told them my Spanish was limited. After brief introductions, we left to let them finish their work. I really wasn't the right person to judge how good a job they were doing, but the place sparkled and smelled really good and that earned them brownie points in my book.

Leaving the annex, I took Carlos' hand in mine. "Are we going to have problems with Higgins? Or is he just going to disappear when the truth comes out?"

"I assume he'll just leave. I'm sure there are other people in other communities that need to be investigated. It's what he does."

"Did Lester know and not tell us?"

"Babe."

We walked to the house with our arms around each other and Carlos kissed the top of my head once we got inside, a gesture I'd come to learn meant he had business to attend to and was separating himself from me. I wanted to show him my rings before we went in different directions, so I took the box out of my bag.

"Just quickly, before you go, I want to show you what I bought." I took off the Jennifer Samantha rings and put my diamond and the new band on.

Carlos' eyes dilated black when he saw the rings on me. "Babe, I like you as my _wife_. Dios, we may have to go and celebrate," and he took my hand and brought it to his crotch for me to feel just how much he liked my rings. It was unbelievable to me the things that triggered a sex response in this man. Of course, just touching him, aroused like that, made me want to go and celebrate too. I wondered if whatever it was he was going to do could wait. Gently, I rubbed my hand over his very hard erection, feeling the shape of him through his pants and letting out a little moan.

"Jesus, you two," Lester said, walking into the kitchen, then quickly turning around and walking out.

The mood was broken, but Carlos pulled me to him and whispered in my ear. "Want to come help me Babe? We're close to taking down Garcia and our contract men just sent a video for me to look at. We can lock ourselves in my office and watch it and then maybe we can take a nap," he wolf-grinned.

I nodded yes, actually happy to be included in a game plan for getting Garcia off the streets.

The video was actually a series of short surveillances following Garcia around Miami. He seemed to have places he liked to frequent and the contract guys suggested two places that would make the best take down points with the least public visibility; the apartment where he seemed to be staying or his girlfriend's house. I thought the coffee shop that he went into a couple of times a day might be a good place too, but it was definitely more public and Rangeman was really trying to stay low profile on this takedown.

Carlos called his contract men back to let them know we viewed the video and gave them a heads up to go ahead. They were going to try to pick him up at his girlfriend's house tonight or at the apartment tomorrow afternoon as those places and times seemed to be a pattern with him.

We disconnected with Miami and laid down on the couch together. Well, actually Carlos laid down then pulled me down on top of him. He was nuzzling my neck and whispering all the things he wanted to do to me in my ear when his cell phone buzzed. He chose to not answer it and had pressed the button for it to go directly to voicemail when the landline in his office started to ring. Someone desperately wanted to get in touch with him.

He lifted me off of him and answered with the Rangeman signature greeting, "Yo."

I saw him pause then tilt his head to listen to the caller. I looked at him quizzically, hoping he would tell me who was on the line. He put his hand over the receiver and looked over at me, "It's my sister Lauren. She's asking if she can come for dinner tomorrow." "Hold on Lauren, wait a second, Stephanie is here too and I want to tell her what's going on." "Steph, Lauren's long-term girlfriend Jessica just broke up with her, and she doesn't want to be alone on Easter."

"Of course she can come," I said, not even giving it a second thought as my sister would always be welcome under similar circumstances.

"Lauren, I'm going to send a car for you ok? Actually, do you want to come here tonight and stay over? Lester and Tank are here. No, I'll send a car, you're upset. Someone should be there within the hour. Most likely it will be Brett, you remember him, right? Yes, he'll call you when he's outside."

Carlos disconnected and turned to me. "Well so much for a relaxing evening, she's crying hysterically. I want to call Brett and see if he can pick her up with one of the Hummers. I'm not sure if anyone from the outside would know that she's my sister; she's changed her name, but I'm not going to take any chances."

He called Brett, got that all squared away then turned his attention back to me.

"Lauren and Jessica have been together since they were nineteen. That's eleven years," he said, doing the math in his head. "About eight years ago Lauren legally changed her last name to Jessica's since they wanted to show the world they were committed and same sex marriage wasn't on the books back then. I was still in Special Forces, so I doubt any of my enemies would know that Lauren Kincaid is my sister, but I can't afford to make that assumption."

"You're a good brother and offering to bring her here is a really nice thing to do."

"I just don't want her to be alone. They broke up once before and Lauren tried to kill herself. I think if she has people around her she'll be less likely to try anything. I wonder if my mother knows? Not that I want to be the family spokesperson, but Lauren has always been fragile and my mother seems to know how to deal with her. Would you mind if I called her?"

I started to get up to give him some privacy when he stopped me. "You don't have to leave, Babe. There's no secrets remember? And I'd like you here with me."

He held me to him and kissed my head while he called his parent's house. I was close enough to the phone that I could hear his mother pick up. He released his hold on me when he spoke, but wouldn't let me leave his side.

"Mama, it's Carlos. I just got a call from Lauren."

"Is everything ok?" I heard her ask.

"Jessica broke up with her and she's very upset. She called to ask if she could come here tomorrow because she knew you and Papa were coming. I just sent a car to get her since I don't want her to be alone. I'm surprised she didn't call you."

"She's been acting erratically these last few weeks. You know she was inseminated with donor sperm because they wanted to have a baby and she didn't get pregnant. My thinking is that Jess blames her. Lauren doesn't exactly follow the rules and may have gone for a run or something else she was told not to do. They love each other, so I don't think this is a permanent break-up, but I do worry about her emotional state. And Lauren has always been melodramatic.

"I'm really happy," Carlos' mother continued, "that you and Stephanie invited her to stay and sent a car for her. I can't wait to meet this woman who's made you a better man."


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best

Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.

Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

FF seems to have a new thing and I have to agree to their terms and conditions before they let me post. One of the things I have to agree to is "no explicit material", so I'm going to try to tame down my writing to 'titillating'. PM me if you want the full scene (they're written, I just edited some things down). And what do they consider 'explicit' anyway?

Chapter 25 _Sharing the vibe_

After hanging up with his mother, Carlos called Tank on speaker. He wanted to let him know that we viewed the Garcia tape and also to tell him that Lauren was coming. I guessed Lauren knew the guys pretty well. I wondered why I never met her before. Tank answered his phone sounding a little out of breath. I hoped Carlos wasn't taking Tank away from Lula. "Yo, what's up?" Tank answered. "We're in the gym, Lula's finishing up her three miles and I wanted to get some heavy resistance training in. What's up?"

Carlos brought Tank up to speed on the planned takedown tonight and casually mentioned Lauren.

"I haven't seen your little sister in a while. How is she doing?"

"I guess she's ok. I'm sure she'll fill us in when she gets here, she and Jess broke up and I didn't want her to be alone."

"I hope you used the magic bullet. You know she and Brett had some kind of special friendship when she used to do our books for us."

So that was it. That's how they all know her, she worked for Rangeman.

"Yeah, I already called him. He's picking her up. I wonder if Sybo might want to switch out with Brett tomorrow. I think Lauren could use a shoulder."

"I'll ask him, but I think he and Les made a deal which included Sybo being the one to actually pick Steph's parents and grandmother up. Not sure Brett would be comfortable in that role."

"Well maybe we should keep things as they are then. Do we know if Brett has any plans for tomorrow?"

"Not sure. His family lives in Jersey City, so chances are he's going home. I can feel him out if you think it'd be advantageous."

"Give it a shot. If he has no plans, invite him here. He's probably on his way to get Lauren now, you should be able to catch him in the car."

"So Lauren used to keep the books for Rangeman?" I asked after Carlos and Tank hung up.

"Yeah, she and Jess were having a hard time making ends meet. At the time, Lauren was a bookkeeper at an advertising agency in Newark and Jessica had gone back to school to become a librarian, so I hired her part time to help us out. She worked for us a couple of evenings a week for a little over a year. That's how she and Brett got so friendly.

"He prefers the night shift and was always on when she came in. I don't think he realized she was gay at first and they used to have coffee together in the break room. He may have even asked her out, I'm not sure. But anyway their friendship survived her telling him about Jess. I know she invited him over to her apartment to meet her and I think Jess was a little jealous of the time they spent together. My mother thinks Jessica's jealousy was the reason Lauren quit working for us, even though Jess was still in school and they could have used the money."

"I could understand that," I said, thinking about my own bouts with jealousy.

"How so?" he asked, my comment not going quite as unnoticed as I had hoped.

"I know what it feels like to be jealous when someone you care about is spending a lot of time with another person. I used to be jealous of Terri. Joe would talk about her all the time. And I was jealous of Jeanne Ellen. I thought I heard you and her had a thing going on. Did you?"

Carlos started to laugh. "Babe, only you."

"Well did you? No secrets, remember."

"I thought she had good skills and tried to get her to work for me. She was more interested in sleeping with me than working for me though. She came on to me hard-core and I'm not going to deny it, we slept together a couple of times. There was nothing there though, she was just a woman I bedded. We're still friends and Rangeman still brings her in on jobs occasionally."

"Do I need to worry?" I asked, starting to get nervous now that I knew for sure that he slept with her.

"Babe, I told you. I'm a one-woman man, and you're my woman. Forever Babe, no worries," and he wrapped his arms around me, held me close and kissed me.

We were still locked in an embrace and I was feeling loved and cherished when Carlos' phone rang and interrupted the moment. Carlos looked at the display, saw it was Brett and took the call with a 'Yo'.

"Ranger, it's Brett. Tank called me and instead of playing man in the middle, I told him I'd call you directly. I have no commitments for tomorrow. I had a bit of a falling out with my family and thought it would be better for everyone if I stayed away. I hope you know I'd do anything for Lauren, she's a special person; of course I can be there for her. If you think it would help, I can stay tonight too. Sometimes a friend is easier to talk to than family."

"Thanks Brett, I appreciate your offer. You're welcome to stay, but I think we may have run out of beds. If you don't mind a couch, I'm sure Lauren would love to have you here too."

"A couch is fine. I'm almost to her apartment. We'll see you in about an hour."

I just thought about what he said to Brett, it was true, we were out of beds. Carlos and I had the master suite. Tank and Lula the second bedroom where I had found the photo album and Lauren the smaller one. There were two bedrooms in the apartment which Les and Sybo had claimed, and if we really wanted to fill the place with people, there were six couches available. I wondered to myself if we had enough sheets and towels.

"Of course we do Babe, don't worry, we're well stocked." I guessed I didn't say that to myself after all.

"Carlos, there are eight of us staying here, what are we going to do for dinner?" I asked, suddenly thinking about food.

"We probably have enough stuff in the house to throw something together, but if you'd rather, we can order in. What do you want to do Babe? This is your house too."

Before giving Carlos an answer, I thought about my mom. Only on rare occasions would she order in. But I wasn't like her and I really had no cooking skills to bring to the table. To me, the thought of pizza with extra cheese or meatball subs smothered in sauce were much more appealing than chopping some vegetables and throwing some chicken or whatever on the grill. I was about to say that when I thought back to Lula's 'changing my diet' speech.

Carlos spoke and brought me out of my daydream, "Babe? Are you ok?"

"I guess I really should learn how to make some simple dishes so I can help and don't feel like I have to resort to unhealthy foods just because they are easy."

"Babe, I don't care if you know how to cook or not. That thought didn't even enter my mind, but If you want to learn we can take some classes together. I think you're perfect just the way you are."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, but I'm serious. When you asked me, the first thing that popped into my head was to order pizza and subs. Not only has Lula pointed out how unhealthy my diet is, but Les and I would probably be the only ones happy to eat like that. What do _you_ want to do?"

"How about we compromise? We can order some pizza and I'll make a salad and throw some chicken on the grill. Something for everyone. You can help me. It'll be your first lesson."

Carlos and I were chopping veggies for our mega-salad when the gate buzzed. Carlos went to the video keypad, saw it was Brett and Lauren in the Hummer and allowed them access. I was excited to meet Lauren. I really hoped Carlos would be able to remain free until his trial and I got to meet all of his family, preferably before the party. I'd like to be able to spend some time with Julie too.

My mind was still wandering, when the front door buzzed and Carlos put his arm around me and took me with him to answer it. I knew Brett from Rangeman and he greeted me with a hug. Carlos wrapped his arms around his sister and kissed her on the top of her head in what I called his protective embrace. When they broke apart he introduced us and she seemed genuinely happy to meet me.

Lauren looked like a smaller, female Carlos. Her silky dark brown hair was cut short and it fell much like his. Her skin was a couple of shades lighter than her brother's, but I'd still consider it mocha latte. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and although her eyes were red from crying, she was a very pretty woman.

Carlos ushered everyone inside so we weren't carrying on a conversation in the foyer again. Since we were still preparing dinner and our pizzas hadn't arrived, I directed the parade towards the kitchen and resumed my chopping stance. Carlos pulled some chairs out and maneuvered them so we could talk while we finished making the salad.

Tank and Lula walked in just as we moved the last stool to the kitchen counter, so Carlos went over to the other side of the room and brought around two more. When Lauren looked up and noticed Tank, the smile on her face grew and she ran over and embraced him in a great big bear hug. Tank held her for a minute before breaking from the embrace to introduce her to Lula.

The door from the annex opened into the kitchen and Les and Sy ambled in. I guessed by their wet hair and slightly bedraggled appearances that they had been sparing in the gym. Lester caught sight of Lauren and scooped her up in his arms and swung her around. "Baby, it's so good to see you," he said, as he hugged her close and kissed her head. He introduced her to Sybo, who was a more recent addition to Rangeman and our little dinner party was almost ready to begin.

Carlos brought in the chicken he had grilled and was making a dressing for the salad, while I put the last of the chopped vegetables into the huge bowl he took down for the occasion. Lester came back from our wine cellar, and I say that loosely because it's more of a temperature controlled closet than an actual cellar, with two bottles of red and one bottle of white. He was just uncorking them when our gate buzzed that our pizza had arrived. Checking our video keypad to make sure it was indeed the pizza delivery, Sy opened the gate and went to the door with his Rangeman-issued Amex card in hand.

Lula, Brett and myself set the dining room table. It was a little squished, but I figured it would do.

"Babe," Carlos said, when he saw that we were going to be sitting practically in each others' laps, "this table has a couple of leaves, they're right here in this closet," and he opened the door and took one out. I would have never known these were table leaves as they were enclosed in large protective felt bags, but I was glad he showed me for future reference. When I didn't make a move to remove the plates, glasses and silverware so he could add the leaf, he looked at me strangely. All of a sudden it dawned on me, he wanted to do this now.

"I'm sorry Carlos, I thought you were just showing me so that tomorrow we could make the table larger. Is this really too tight?"

"Babe,"

I looked again at the side-by-side plates and guessed it probably was. We moved the place settings to the buffet and I helped him add a piece to the center.

Tank and Lula brought in the pizzas and salad and we all took our places at the table. When I looked over to where Lauren and Brett were sitting, I noticed they were holding hands. It seemed a little strange to me, but obviously they had that kind of a relationship. No wonder Jess was jealous.

We were talking and laughing and trying to make the best of a lot of bad situations rolled into one, when I again glanced down the table towards Lauren to see how she was holding up. I guessed I shouldn't have glanced because I caught her and Brett kissing and neither one of them was looking too unhappy about it. Maybe it was like a brotherly thing? I mean, he didn't have his tongue down her throat.

I didn't want to be the only one seeing this, so I nudged Carlos under the table. He broke from his conversation with Lester and Tank and looked at me questioningly, "Babe?"

Not wanting to make a big deal of it or draw attention to Lauren I just touched his face which I knew would make him pay attention to me.

I mouthed "Lauren," and he looked at me, his head tilted in question. Then he glanced down the table just in time to see what I saw.

It was hard for me to understand this, obviously Lauren was in a committed lesbian relationship yet she was practically making out with a man. It looked tender and loving and I couldn't help but feel it was like the relationship Carlos and I shared. I wondered what was going on. She must be confused, no? And what about Brett. I wondered what he was thinking.

All of a sudden Lula kicked me under the table, taking me out of my head. I looked up at her. "Girlfriend, can you help me with something?"

"Of course Lula, what's the matter?"

"Come to my room for a minute."

And we both got up and headed down the hall. When we were out of earshot of the dining room, Lula spoke. "I thought you said she was gay? They were sitting right next to me. I saw her put her hand on his thigh. Well, actually more than his thigh."

"Carlos and I caught them kissing. Obviously something has been brewing for a while and her girlfriend leaving her may have opened up some other doors. I just hope neither of them gets hurt. And I hope Brett knows what he's doing, because if Jess wants her back and she goes, she's going to leave him very hurt."

"That's what I was thinking too. Should I have Tank talk to him? I can call him right now."

"I don't know. I really don't want to interfere. You know what, call Tank. We can always say I couldn't help you with whatever it was you wanted me to help you with and we needed him after all."

Lula called Tank and when we heard him walking down the hall, we opened the door and ushered him inside like a bunch of giggling schoolgirls having a sleepover.

"Lula this better be good, we were discussing business."

"Sorry Tank, but we don't want to see Brett get hurt."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lauren."

"Yeah, they're good friends. He wanted to stay here tonight to be here for her."

"Hmmm. Looked to me like he had something else in mind. Actually, _she_ seems to be instigating this."

"Lula spill it."

I decided that if I didn't break in and tell Tank what was going on, we could be here all night. "Tank, I saw Brett and Lauren kissing. Lula saw her put her hand on his, well you know..."

Lula interrupted. "Yeah, and that's just not lesbian behavior. We're afraid she's going to break Brett's heart when Jess calls and wants her back. We wanted you to talk to him."

"Lula, Brett is a big boy, he can take care of himself."

"Hmmm. I don't think he knows exactly what's happening. I think he's thinking with his _other_ brain."

"Lula!"

"Well he is. Tank, please just talk to him. It's a matter of Rangeman security. If she breaks his heart he won't be able to function at 100% and could be endangering the company or hisself. Just make him aware, please."

"Ok Lula, I hear you. I'll talk to him after dinner. Now let's get back. Um, I had to help you get a suitcase down, ok?"

"Yep, just what I was thinking."

We let Tank go back first and then we followed at what we assumed was a reasonable lapse of time for us to do whatever we were supposed to be doing with the suitcase.

When we got back to the table Carlos looked at me and pulled me to him to give me a kiss. "Babe, what is going on?" he whispered

"Mmmm, I'll tell you when we clean up," I whispered back.

"Anybody want coffee or dessert?" Carlos asked, I guessed trying to get cleanup started so he could find out what we were all flitting around about.

I was usually the only one who wanted any, so I was kind of amused to see Brett, Lauren and Lester nod their heads for dessert. Well maybe they just wanted coffee.

I started to take the dishes off the table and Lula, Tank and Carlos all pitched in to help, obviously so we could talk in the kitchen.

I felt like we were Lucy, Ethel and Fred on a caper. But at least we weren't up to our knees in grape mash. Carlos closed the kitchen door once we had brought in all the dishes and silverware; I didn't even realize that door could close. "Ok, you three, what's going on?" he asked us.

Usually I have no problem telling him things, we tell each other everything, but for once I was tongue-tied. Lula saw my distress and took the lead.

"Ok, here's the story. Your lesbian sister was not only kissing Brett, she was fondling him too. We think Tank needs to tell him he's playing with fire and he could get his heart broken."

"I _saw_ them kissing. I don't know what to say. There seems to be some kind of revenge game happening on my sister's part, which I don't like. And I don't like that she's using one of my men for her game. Brett is no innocent though, I'm not sure what's driving him."

Lula interrupted, "I can tell you what's driving him. It's that brain between his legs. That's a very powerful _driver,_" she said, and smiled at her own joke.

"Well the easiest thing would be to get him in here and ask him. Tank, you want to call him or should I?"

Tank took his phone out of his pocket and the next thing we knew both Brett and Lauren pushed open the kitchen door and walked in hand-in-hand. This just made the moment more awkward.

"Brett, Lauren, what's going on with you two?" Carlos asked after he paused to take in their hands embracing then looking from his sister to Brett.

Brett answered. "I'm going to speak for both of us, since Lauren is a little emotionally charged right now. As you know, we've been friends and have really cared about each other for a long time. What you don't know is that Lauren and Jess' anonymous sperm donor was not really anonymous, it was me.

"Lauren didn't want her baby's biological father to be someone she didn't know, so she called me and asked if I would consider it. I didn't even have to think twice about it, the thought of Lauren having my child made me really happy. When Lauren didn't get pregnant after the insemination, Jess suggested they use a live donor for their next attempt. That's when Lauren told Jess that _I_ _was_ the donor and that it wasn't frozen sperm and she went crazy. She slapped Lauren and called her a whore. She said it was over for good between them and stormed out of the apartment. Then I guess Lauren called you, and pretty much hoped you'd get in touch with me.

"When I picked her up to bring her here we had a long talk," he continued, pulling Lauren closer to him and kissing the hand he was still holding. "She told me everything. And she told me she's cared about me as more than a friend for a long time, but was afraid to break it off with Jess. She was also afraid to tell me how she felt, because she wasn't sure how I would react.

"What you saw, see," and he picked up their intertwined hands and kissed her fingers, "is something that's been developing for over five years. I care about Lauren very much and we want to try to make it work."

I looked over at Lauren. She was nodding in agreement, and the tears were streaming down her face. To give her space, I looked over to the counter and I saw a package wrapped in brown paper and tied with string that I hadn't seen earlier. I pointed to it and asked Carlos, "What's that?"

"Santos brought it in this morning. I'm assuming it's from Ella, why don't you open it?"

I remembered that Carlos was going to frame the picture Hal took a few years ago and the one that Devon took last week. I was hoping that's what this was and went over to the package. I pushed the string down with my fingers and the paper fell away once I got it to the bottom. Inside were the two framed photos of us.

The one that Hal took in the garage was endearing and I could understand why Carlos wanted it. He had his arms wrapped around me and was kissing the top of my head in a protective, loving way. I was looking up at him with the Stephanie version of his 200-watt smile. We couldn't have looked more in love. And the one that Devon took was priceless, we were staring into each other's eyes, not seeing anything else in the world but each other. Hector had done his photoshop enhancement magic to them and they looked really good at 5x7. The frames matched the frame of the one already on our mantle.

They almost made me want to cry or maybe it was hearing Brett and Lauren's story that did that, and I felt an uncontrollable tear fall down my face.

I looked over at Lula and I saw her inch her way over to Tank so that he could wrap his big arms around her and hold her close. Obviously the love in this room was pretty powerful, so I didn't think twice about passing our framed photos around to our 'family'.

Lauren, who hadn't said anything up until this point held the photo Devon took of us in her hands and said, "I want to have this kind of love in my life. You guys are magic," and I almost told her how ballistic I went on Carlos right after it was taken.

Brett took the picture from her hand and looked at it, he then brought his forehead to hers and held it there for a second, before lifting her head up by her chin so they were looking into each other's eyes and kissing her with a kiss that you knew came from the heart. "I love you, Lauren."

I melted and the kiss wasn't even meant for me.

I just realized we had left Les and Sy in the dining room while the rest of us were behind closed doors in the kitchen, so assuming the worst was over, I opened the door to share the vibe with them.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)**

**Please note: This chapter is unedited, but since I had this written, I wanted to post it since you've been asking for it. The obvious errors, they are all mine. :)**

**Special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) who's been a tremendous help and has made me a better writer.**

**Once again, I don't own the characters, JE gets the credit for that, I'm just taking them for a test drive.**

Chapter 26 _A full house_

I brought out the Ben & Jerry's and Carlos made coffee. We were all back in the dining room when I thought about our framed photos and went to get them to put on the mantle with the one Lula took. Les saw me carrying them out of the kitchen and came over to see what I had.

"Beautiful, I picked them up from Ella for you and made sure Sy didn't sit on them, you can at least show me," he grinned and took the pictures from me before I even made it to the living room.

"Hot damn, you guys take good pictures," he said, waggling his eyebrows then arranging the pictures on the mantle for me.

I stood back to admire his work, but with only three pictures there wasn't too much to arrange. I thought a few more might be a good idea. Maybe a picture of Tank and Lula? Or Julie? Or my nieces. Too bad I didn't have any, and it was kind of late to do anything about that tonight anyway. Our families were coming tomorrow.

I guess I was lost in my own world, because I didn't hear Carlos come up behind me. "Deep thoughts Babe?"

"Mmmm, these look nice. I was just thinking we should add some more."

"We will Babe. I keep telling you 'forever'," and he put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. "Mmmm you taste good, I could easily get distracted. But I came over here to tell you I just heard from our contract men in Miami, we got Garcia."

I turned around when he said this, "You did? Where did they finally take him down?"

"We got him just as he was getting out of his car to go to his girlfriend's house. It was a nice clean takedown, nobody saw us."

"What are you going to do with him, or should I not ask?"

"Well we could make him disappear, or we can get him into the legal system and let Miami take care of him. For now we have him in a Rangeman Miami cell."

"Is that a good idea? We didn't want to call attention to Rangeman Miami, which is why you brought in the contract workers. And now you put him right in the lion's den?"

"Babe, we have a couple of days before anyone will look for him. By then Tank and I will have turned ourselves in, taking the heat off of our Miami office. We need to discuss him tonight though and figure out a game plan. Want to join us in my office?"

"Sure, are we doing this now?"

"Yeah Babe. We have Bobby on the phone and everyone else who needs to be in on the call is here. This shouldn't take long and then I can have you all to myself," he paused and nibbled my neck some more, sending goose bumps down my spine. "Mmmm, I'm looking forward to that part," he whispered.

"We need to find a pillow, and sheets and blankets for Brett too. I don't want to forget."

"Babe, I for one don't think he's going to need them, but we can make up the couch in the den, just in case. Come on, the sooner we talk, the sooner I get you alone."

Tank, Les and Bobby were already discussing possibilities, when we walked into Carlos' office. Garcia's only sustainable crimes were attacking Carlos on the beach and that case was dropped for lack of sufficient evidence and carrying concealed in Trenton, for which he had an upcoming court date. We were either going to have to fabricate something that would stick, make him disappear or let him go after showing him what happens when you try to take on Rangeman.

Carlos brought up the fact that unless he was sent away for a long time, he would always be a threat to Rangeman, since the chip on his shoulder seemed to run deep. I guessed they were leaning towards making him disappear and I really didn't want to hear the hows or the wheres of that, so I went out to join Lula, Brett, Lauren and Sy in the den slash media room.

They were watching a repeat of _NCIS_ on TV and I felt like it was just a little too close to home. So instead of joining them, I grabbed my laptop and sat down at the counter in the kitchen to check my email.

Along with the sixty-three junk emails, there were only two that I was even remotely interested in reading. One was from Mary Lou wishing me a Happy Easter and asking me how things were going. I took the time to email her back and told her about the ring and our family gathering tomorrow. I sent my love to her, Lenny and the kids and asked her to give her mom a kiss for me when she saw her tomorrow.

The other email that intrigued me was from Morelli. I was almost afraid to open it as our last few conversations were strained. The subject line just said 'hi', which really didn't give away what the email was about, so I guessed I had to click it open. I was just about to do so when I heard Carlos' office door unlock and voices enter the hall. I could either go look for him or open this email. My curiosity got the better of me, so I opened it.

"Steph," it simply said, "just wanted to say hello and wish you a Happy Easter. I hope Manoso's keeping you safe, I would hate for anything to happen to you. Call me when you have a chance. Joe"

I was reading it for a second time, trying to see if there was a hidden meaning in the words, when Carlos came into the kitchen looking for me. I turned the laptop to him so he could see what I was looking at.

"I'm trying to read into this," I told him. "I mean our last few conversations haven't ended too well, why would he go out of his way to send me an email?"

"He's being cagey. Maybe something's come up with Cagiano and he wants some verification. Maybe they found out about Malone, but I highly doubt that. Why don't you call him?"

"Carlos, its 10:30, isn't it kind of late for a business call?"

"What time did he send you that email?"

"Uh, 4:33 today. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just wondering if it might have coincided with something that was happening at Rangeman. Right now I'm not making a connection, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind. Babe, want to help me bring some sheets and things into the den in case Brett wants to sleep there?"

"Sure, and then let's call it a night too."

Lula and Tank had gone to bed, Santos and Sy had gone back to their rooms in the apartment, or to the gym or somewhere in that general direction. The only people in the den were Lauren and Brett who were sitting close and talking, so we just dropped off the bed linens, left them alone and went back down the hall to our room.

"I finally have you all to myself," he wolf-grinned and playfully threw me down on the bed and kissed me. "Want to go into the hot tub? It's been a long day and the warm jets will relax us."

"There's a lot of people here Carlos, what if someone else has the same idea? I'd be embarrassed if we were in the middle of something and someone came out."

"The jets are noisy. Anyone who approaches would know someone was in the tub and turn around and go back. No one will disturb us."

When he put it like that, I realized he had a point. We stripped and changed into the terry robes that were in our closets and went out to the hot tub. Carlos opened the tub and turned on the jets. While he was waiting for them to come alive he flipped on the towel warmer that was in the cabana so our robes would be toasty when we came out of the tub. We took them off and left them to warm while we stepped into the almost too hot water.

Carlos positioned me so that one of the jets was hitting my lower back and another my neck. He started to massage my shoulders and I felt the stress of the day just melt away. I must have moaned because Carlos looked over at me questioningly. He took my hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed my palm and then he kissed my fingers, one by one.

"Babe, you make me so crazy. I knew that you were approaching the house this afternoon because all of a sudden my dick had a mind of its own. Dios, the things you do to me."

He moved my hair off my shoulders and started to kiss and nibble my neck. It's one of my most favorite things that he does to me and I felt myself start to respond to him. If he thought I made him crazy, I wondered what he thought he did to me.

I was relaxed, content and starting to feel very turned on by his talented mouth and fingers when he lifted me up and turned me around. He positioned me so that I was sitting on his lap, straddling his hips. He was fully aroused and in this position his dick was very lightly touching my labia. It felt so good. He brought me closer to him and began to kiss me. His lips on mine were like magic. He had said that my lips were one of my top three erogenous zones and just by kissing me and having his dick touch me as he moved, I was very, very turned on.

"Babe," he whispered in my ear, "I want to fuck you. Dios, do I want to fuck you."

"God. Carlos. Now," was all I was capable of saying, but it made my point and the next thing I knew he was inside of me. The movement of the water over my privates added to the movement of Carlos inside of me and I came as soon as he picked me up so he could take me from a better angle. God I loved this man.

Carlos noticed I was starting to get pruny and suggested we take our act on the road. "Babe, we need to get you on dry land," he said taking my hand and examining my shriveled fingers. "I forget that you have such sensitive skin. I'm sorry I did this to you."

He got out of the tub and brought one of the robes over for me. He then helped me out of the tub and into the robe. "We probably shouldn't stay in this hot water too long anyway it can raise our body temperatures to dangerous levels, but I loved having you underwater. Dios."

We made our way back to our bedroom and all of a sudden the long day caught up with me. Even though my hormones wanted to make love with Carlos all night long, my body had other ideas.

I woke up to the feeling of movement on the bed and opened my eyes to see Carlos getting back in. He sensed I was awake and he pulled me close to him. He started nibbling my neck and making low growling noises. Then he very lightly started running a finger over my right nipple. "Good morning Babe. Mmmm, I love having you wake up next to me," and he pulled me close to him so I could feel his love grow against my back. He continued his assault on my neck and nipples while he spoke to me, "Mmmm Babe, you taste so good, I'd rather have you for dinner than anything we're making. Dios."

Of course he got me all aroused and when he moved the hand that was caressing my nipple to my vagina, he could feel how wet I was. "Mmmm Babe?"

"I can't help myself when you touch me like this, God."

He entered me from the spooned position we were in and I could feel his dick hit that special spot. I knew this was another of those magical angles and as soon as he reached his hand around and touched me I came long and loudly. He then took some of the juices that gushed from me and used them as lubricant and gently massaged my ass until it opened for him to let a finger in. Oh God there are no words to describe how wonderful this felt and there are no words to describe the orgasm that followed. Loud, deep and shuddering.

We had a reputation amongst ourselves for long lovemaking sessions with both of us coming numerous times, and although I would love to spend the morning in bed with him, I knew we had a lot of things to do before our gathering later. I could tell Carlos was using his PC muscles to allow him to orgasm, but not ejaculate, so this had the potential to go on for a while. Suddenly he pulled me to him really tight, my back was still to his front and we were still lying on our sides. He was still inside of me and by him pulling me in tight like this he was able to get his full erection into me and to rub against my happy place. I came very, very powerfully. I'm sure I made enough noise to wake everyone in the house and I felt Carlos follow me over. I had never had an orgasm like _that_ before, but if this was one of those magic things Carlos was sharing, I wanted to experience it over and over again.

We showered together and while I went to do my hair and put on some makeup, Carlos said he would make breakfast. I saw him pause, come back into the bedroom and walk over to me. "Babe, I was just wondering what you were going to wear this afternoon? I remember Ella bought some designer clothes for you to take to Florida and I thought that the blue Nicole Miller dress with the low V-neck would look great on you. It makes your eyes look even more beautiful and it fits you really well. I think I saw a pair of black Jimmy Choo sandals in your closet that would look really nice with it too."

"I have a blue Nicole Miller dress?" I asked, not believing Carlos paid that much attention to my wardrobe.

"Babe," he said as he went into my closet and came out with a sleeveless steely-blue fitted dress with a low neck and a twist detail at the waist. It was stunning. I remembered seeing it in the closet, but I don't remember ever wearing it.

While I was trying to place him seeing me in it, he came out of the closet with a pair of black suede cut out sandals with tie closures and a four-inch heal. They were the perfect match for the dress. He may be GQ man, but he certainly had Vogue taste in women's clothes.

Since we had a few hours before I needed to get dressed and I promised I'd help him with the cooking, I put the dress and shoes back in the closet for later. I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt in case I had a cooking disaster and went out to the kitchen in search of coffee and breakfast.

Brett and Lauren were sitting at the counter drinking coffee and grinning at each other like two lovesick teenagers when I walked in. I wondered if they slept together, although there was something about the sexual charge in the air that told me they hadn't...yet.

Carlos had just put on more coffee, so while it brewed I opened the refrigerator to see what I could dig up for breakfast. Carlos came over and put his arms around me, nuzzling and kissing my neck. "Babe, I'll make breakfast. What do you want?"

"Actually I think I'd just like a bagel, maybe with some of your cream cheese and smoked salmon."

"Babe? Are you sure? I can make you an omelette or pancakes."

"No really, that's what I feel like having. We're going to be having a big meal later and that's really all I want."

"Steph," Brett interrupted, "I was out earlier and picked up some fresh bagels. I just got whole grain, but you're welcome to them. I got them for everyone."

I went over to the brown paper bag Brett was pointing to and stuck my head in, hoping the bagel lady accidentally threw in a real one. When I didn't find one, I pulled out two of the whole grains for Carlos and I and took them over to the toaster. I find that if I'm forced to eat whole grain anything, it tastes better toasted.

While we were eating breakfast, Brett and Lauren got up to put their dishes in the dishwasher and excuse themselves. I looked over at Carlos to give him my evil smile but he seemed very involved with something on his iPad and didn't notice it. "What are you looking at?" I asked curiously.

"I downloaded the Epicurious App. It's a compilation of recipes from all of the cooking magazines. There are years worth of recipes here. I wanted to check out the best way to make our leg of lamb. There seems to be a difference of opinion on how to roast it. One school of thought is the slow-cook, low-heat method. You cook it at 325° for the whole time. The other says to sear the meat at 425° first for twenty minutes, then lower the temperature to 300°. I think I'm going to try the second method. It intrigues me."

Whatever he wanted to do, was fine with me. If Carlos was intrigued with watching a leg of lamb roast, who was I to take his fun away. I was going to volunteer for chopping duty, it was something I could handle.

"Babe," Carlos addressed me, still reading from his iPad, "we need to make slices into the meat and put garlic and herbs into the slices. It says here after we sear the meat, we have to cook it for ten to twelve minutes per pound, then to check with a cooking thermometer for doneness. Our leg is eight pounds so that's about eighty-eight minutes. I suggest we put the roast in at 12:30, then it should be done so we can eat around 2:30. How does that sound to you?"

It sounded very complex to me. But I knew Carlos had a better understanding of this than I did. And Lauren was here too. I remember Carlos telling my mother that all of his siblings could cook. I looked over at the display on the stove and it was almost 10:30. I suddenly wondered where Lula and Tank were.

"They were just coming into the gym when I left to go back to bed with you," he said, making me realize I must have spoken out loud.

I was contemplating going for a run too, as I hadn't been anywhere near the gym for a couple of days, when Tank and Lula came into the kitchen looking freshly showered and ready for breakfast. I said good morning and told everyone of my plan and went off to change into my gym clothes and sneakers.

On the way I stopped in the den, and sure enough the folded sheets, blanket and pillow were right where Carlos and I left them. I really didn't care to know about other people's sex lives, but I loved knowing Lauren and Brett had at least shared a bed. I was happy with this thought as I took the unused linens with me and put them back in the closet before I changed.

I did two and a half miles on the treadmill and was cooling down when Carlos came into the gym to see what I was up to. "Babe, first you eat like me, and then you go off to the gym on your own. Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm good. I guess Lula's inspired me a bit. Do you still want us to get our Fugitive Recovery Certifications?"

"I would feel better about you and Lula going after skips if I knew you were well trained. Rangeman will foot the bill. I asked Bobby to find out when the next class starts and I haven't heard back from him with any dates yet. You'd have to be in Trenton though, the school's located in Philly. And Babe," he added, "have you decided when you want my men to move your stuff into Haywood? I thought tomorrow might be a good time...while we're in DC."

"Carlos, I haven't packed. I haven't even been back there since we came back from Florida."

"They can pack for you. You said you wanted to keep the apartment for now, so they'd just need to bring your clothes and other personal items. The furniture can stay."

"I don't know how I'd feel about them going through my underwear."

"Babe, they don't care about your underwear and Vince and Sybo have already been through all your drawers when they dusted for prints and looked for the picture of us after your break in. Is this any different?"

When he put it like that I didn't have much of an argument. But maybe I could convince my mother and Val to go over to my apartment before the guys got there to put some things into boxes.

I was still musing over this as we walked back to the house. I really did want to move in with Carlos. I couldn't imagine us apart after the last few weeks, so I didn't fully know what my apprehension was. And it wasn't as if I had the world's greatest apartment. Carlos' place on seven was hundreds of times nicer than my rat trap.

I took a quick shower, still in thought, and changed back into my jeans and went out to help Carlos make dinner for fourteen.

He already had the roast in the oven and the kitchen was starting to smell really homey. "Carlos what can I do?" I asked.

"I cut up the salad while you were in the shower, but I wanted to make an asparagus and mushroom risotto. If you could cut up an onion, and trim the asparagus and the mushrooms into pieces of all about equal size, that would help a lot." I took the stuff out of our Sub-Zero, grabbed a cutting board and one of the chef's knives Carlos showed me how to use and went over to the other counter to start chopping.

We were done with everything. The roast had another half an hour to go and we had taken the appetizers out of the refrigerator when our gate buzzed and we saw the first Hummer arrive. "Carlos, they're early. I have to change," I said freaking a little and running to the bedroom while Carlos went over to the keypad and buzzed them in.

I quickly put on the Nicole Miller dress and the Jimmy Choos and looked at myself in the full-length mirror. I looked really good. I added another coat of mascara and some lipstick and went out to see who was the first to arrive.

Carlos was introducing my mother, father and grandmother to Brett and Lauren when I came into the living room. My grandmother looked me over and wolf-whistled. "Stephanie, you look like a fashion model. And Ranger's house is beautiful," she said, looking over at Carlos and winking at him.

"It's _our_ house and please call me Carlos. You too, Mr. And Mrs. Plum..."

"Well then I'm Edna," my grandmother interrupted. "And this is Helen and Frank," she added pointing to my mother and father. "We brought a pineapple upside down cake, but that nice young man who drove us here took it into the kitchen to put it in the refrigerator."

My dad handed Carlos a black plastic shopping bag that contained a couple of bottles of wine, "I picked these up for the occasion too. They should go well with lamb."

"Thank you Frank. Why don't you sit down," and he pointed to the couches that sat facing each other. As he did, I realized we weren't going to have enough of places to sit in the living room. "I'll bring these inside and then I want to change. We've been cooking all morning. I'll be right out."

Carlos turned and walked towards the kitchen when all of a sudden my mother let out a shriek. ""Stephanie, what is that on your hand?"

I thought maybe I burned or cut myself, so I looked down to where my mother was staring and I realized she had caught sight of my ring. Her shrill brought Carlos back into the living room. "Stephanie?" she shrieked again.

Before I had a chance to explain, Carlos put his arm around me and brought me over to my family. He took my left hand in his and showed them the ring. "I gave this to Stephanie. It's an antique black diamond."

My grandmother took my hand from Carlos and looked at the ring closely. "This is beautiful. Are you engaged? Is that why you brought us here today?"

"We're not engaged, but I _would_ like to marry Stephanie one day. We love each other very much."

My mother got up and came over to my grandmother and me to look at the ring closer. "This is an engagement ring Stephanie. When I was young, my girlfriend's mother had an engagement ring that looked very much like this."

I knew wearing this was going to start all kinds of things, that's why I wanted to put off showing it to anyone. I looked over at Carlos; he promised he was going to talk to my mother.

He gave me a look that said, yes I know and I'll take care of it. I was hoping he was going to do it soon, I could see my mother was busy thinking. Thankfully Tank and Lula walked into the living room right at that moment. Lula went up to my mom, dad and grandmother and hugged them hello. After my mother gushed about how great Lula looked and how much weight she lost I saw her eyes go right to Lula's three-carat diamond. "Lula? Are you and Stephanie planning a double wedding?" my mother asked.

"No Helen. Stephanie and Ranger aren't engaged. But me and Tank are. We're the for-real ones."

Carlos finally had a chance to go into our bedroom to change. He came back a few minutes later looking drop-dead handsome. He was wearing charcoal grey Armani slacks and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The white shirt offset his mocha latte skin and he looked absolutely edible. Obviously he had borrowed some of my Mr. Alexander products, because he had spiked his hair a bit. My heart was going pitter-patter from my very own GQ man.

My mother noticed the painting on the wall when she was taking in just how handsome Carlos looked. "Carlos?" she asked him, "Is that a famous painting? I think I've seen it before."

"It's an unsigned Frida Kahlo. I bought it at auction. I was told it might be a fake, but something about it reminds me of Stephanie. I had to have it, even if I might have overpaid for it..."

The gate buzzed while Carlos was discussing the painting and I went over to the keypad. I looked at the video feed, saw Hal's smiley face in the driver's seat of the Hummer and buzzed Carlos' family in.

"Carlos," I called to him, more to distract him from my mother than anything else, "your parents just arrived."

Carlos excused himself from my family and went to the front door to greet them.

Minutes later the door buzzed and Carlos' mom, dad, grandmother and Lauren and Brett, who must have been outside, walked in. I had seen pictures of his mom and dad in the photo album, but I was not prepared for how physically attractive they both were in person. Carlos greeted his parents by kissing them on both cheeks and he hugged his grandmother. He brought them inside and over to me.

"Mama, Papa, Abuela, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my mother Gloria, my dad Ricardo and my grandma Rosa." They greeted me with hugs and kisses and I could tell they were a very loving family.

Tank came over and kissed Carlos' mom and grandmother and shook hands with his father. I had expected that they knew each other. After all, Tank is like a brother to Carlos, so I was sure he had met his family before.

We invited Carlos' family in and introduced them to my family and Lula. Obviously they met Brett outside. Good thing his family wasn't like mine or they'd be all over Lauren about him. I mean, in their eyes yesterday Lauren was a lesbian and today she's very visibly kissing and touching a man.

Lester and Sybo walked in in the middle of introductions and Les went over and kissed Tia Gloria and Tio Ricardo and said hello to Carlos' grandmother in Spanish. I guessed from the way he said hello, Abuela was from the other side of the family. We introduced Sy to everyone and I still felt like I was going to die.

I really hoped Carlos would give the speech he promised. I knew my mother was still mentally checking out every hall big enough to hold all our family and friends and I wanted that stalled right now.

My grandmother happened to catch a glimpse of the photos on our fireplace mantle and went over for a better look. Carlos' grandmother followed. This should be interesting as I knew Abuela Rosa's English wasn't the best. Neither of the grandmothers were very tall, so they called Tank over to help them take the pictures down to look at them closer. They were both smiling as they passed the pictures back and forth, so I knew they got off to a good start.

"Look Helen," my grandmother said after looking at the picture Hal took in the garage, "here's some pictures of Stephanie and Ranger. This one has to be a few years old. I remember when she had those blonde streaks in her hair."

Abuela Rosa leaned in for a better look at the offending photo and called Gloria over. I guess she saw something in Carlos she wanted to point out. While the moms and grandmothers ogled over us, Carlos and I went into the kitchen to warm up the appetizers that needed to be warmed and to take the ones that were supposed to be cold out of the refrigerator.

"Please talk to my mother Carlos, I can see the wheels turning. She's going to start making calls and be all over me about dates. You didn't give her a good enough reason to back off. She can be a pitbull when she gets a thought in her head."

"I was going to announce a few things to both of our families when we had our champagne toast. I think we have enough flutes for everyone. Want to help me bring in the glasses and some plates and napkins?"

God only knew what he planned on telling everyone, but the sooner he did it, the better I'd feel. I guessed I was clanking around glasses while I brought them to the lacquered trays, carrying three in each hand at a time.

"Babe?"

"Sorry Carlos, I'm just nervous," and I turned around to find my mother and Carlos' mother coming into the kitchen to help us.

"What a beautiful kitchen," my mother gushed, taking in the granite and stainless steel. "Can we get a tour of the place, this looks like such a beautiful house."

"Of course. Maybe we should do that now while the appetizers are warming," Carlos replied.

We brought the two trays of champagne flutes into the dining room and continued to the lining room, our mothers in tow, to announce the tour.

We started with the obvious, the room we were in, then we took everyone into the dining room and then the kitchen. As the easiest way to access the annex is through the kitchen, we headed the parade in that direction. My father noticed the Mercedes CL65 and the 911 turbo parked in the garage. I knew he had seen Carlos driving the turbo before.

He pointed to the Mercedes, "Nice car."

"That's Stephanie's," Carlos replied, and both my mother and father looked at me, and their jaws dropped.

"Carlos had it brought back from Florida for me," I added, hoping that would somehow make my owning an over one hundred thousand dollar car easier for my parents to comprehend.

We moved the tour to the gym and the attached apartment before anyone else had a chance to comment on my car and were successfully back down the stairs before my grandmother brought it up again. "Steph, will you drive me to Stiva's in that one day? I'd love to hear what Mrs. Morgenstern would say if she saw me got out of that beauty."

"Sure Grandma," I answered her, half-hoping I'd never have to keep my promise.

I led everyone back through the kitchen and down the hall towards our bedroom suite when I realized maybe this wasn't such a good idea. It was too late to just stop short and turn around so instead I found Carlos, snuggled under his arm, and we both led the way. I mean, this is 2012, people live together all the time. I lived with Joe for a while between apartment firebombings, but somehow this felt different. Carlos and I had lots of sex and I was almost afraid the scent was still in the air.

Carlos opened the door and invited everyone in to see our king-sized canopied bed, huge walk-in closets and bathroom you could die for. My mother moaned when she saw the jacuzzi and marbled stall shower. "Oh my," she said when she could finally get some words out, "no wonder Stephanie likes staying here with you."

I quickly ushered everyone out before my mother had a chance to see our comingled clothes in the hamper and we led the parade down the hall to Lula and Tank and Lauren's rooms.

Halfway down the hall we have French doors that open to the pool and the beach beyond. I wanted to show this view off as I thought it was really pretty the way Carlos set it up with the huge blue urns on either side of the doors, so I stopped for everyone to take in the view. "Carlos did this, in fact Carlos did the whole house, doesn't he have great taste?" I asked of everyone.

We got a few nods and finished up our tour down by Lula's wing.

That out of the way Carlos, myself and our mothers went back to the kitchen for the appetizers and champagne.

"I have some announcements to make," Carlos said when everyone had some champagne in their hands and a few hors d'oeuvres under their belts.

"First, I want to congratulate Tank and Lula on their engagement," and everyone applauded.

"Second, I want to let you know that Stephanie agreed to move in with me, both here and at the apartment I have over Rangeman. I'd like to make her my wife eventually, but for now we have a comfortable relationship and love each other exclusively. Steph and I have talked about our future wedding and we want to stop all thoughts about halls and parishes. We'd like to have our wedding here at our house. Please don't try to change our minds; it's something we both want.

"Thirdly," he continued, "Tank and I are turning ourselves in tomorrow for Rangeman's involvement in getting me out of hell last month. We may have to serve a little time, but that is not going to change how we feel about our women. They are first and foremost in our minds and hearts.

"The last thing I'd like to bring up and embrace is my sister Lauren," and Carlos went into the crowd, found Lauren and pulled her to him, "She's been through her own hell the last few months; from going through artificial insemination to try to have a baby with her long-time girlfriend to realizing her love for Brett, her sperm donor and best friend. Things are not going to be easy for her, but I'd like to let her know we're all here for her, love her and want to make her life as easy as possible."


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

Please note: This chapter is unedited. Fredda hasn't had a chance to read it yet, but as I've been getting PMs to post soon (and it was written), I'm posting anyway. Will repost when Fredda has a chance to comment.

M rating

Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda (Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 27 _The Exchange_

I looked over at my mother after Carlos' speech and I could tell she wasn't happy at all. I wanted to see if Carlos' mom was reacting the same way, so I searched for her beautiful face in the crowd. I found it, and noticed that she was smiling broadly. What a difference between them.

Gloria's smile was just drawing me in so I went over to her, put an arm around her and hugged her to me. "I'm so glad you're here and I'm so happy to have finally met you, Ricardo and Abuela Rosa."

"Stephanie, you don't know how happy you've made _me_. I've wished for so long that all my children could have the kind of loving partnership that Ricardo and I have. I am so happy to see that Carlos has found that with you."

"Thank you." I paused before I said the next thing that was in my mind. "I hope Carlos will be around for Maddie's Quinceañera party, but if he can't be, I want you to know that I plan on being there."

She pulled me to her and kissed my cheek. "Thank you." And then she looked at me questioningly, "It looks like you've already moved in here, when are you moving into the apartment at Rangeman?"

"Lula and I are going down to DC with Carlos and Tank for their meeting tomorrow. Carlos thought that some of his men could move me while we were down there. I know I'm being silly, but the idea of his men packing up my personal things has me feeling a little creeped out. I was going to ask my mother and sister if they could help, but now it looks like my mother isn't too happy with me."

"Don't be silly dear. I'm sure she's not unhappy with you."

"No, I think she is. I don't think Carlos' announcement that if we get married we want to have the wedding here, sat too well with her. I think she'd like me to get married at the Knights of Columbus Hall or some other large, totally sterile place. And now that she knows not to push that, I'm sure she'll be looking at big pouffy dresses for me. That's just how she is."

"You aren't even engaged."

"She heard the intent, it's all the same to her, trust me."

"Oh Stephanie."

"Yeah, my sister ran away on her wedding day."

"She eloped?"

"Not exactly. Her now-husband was in a panic about being attacked by her huge wedding dress and they escaped to Disney World," I said paraphrasing what really happened.

I was sure his mother was thinking there was definitely something wrong with my family at this point. Before I said anything else to incriminate them, I feigned the excuse of helping Carlos with last-minute meal preparations and went into the kitchen to look for him.

"Getting chummy with my mother Babe?" he asked with his 200-watt smile in place when he saw me.

"I love your mother, she's so easy to talk to. But I probably told her too much about my family. I'm sure she's wondering about me now."

"I'm sure you charmed her Babe. Can you help me bring some things out to the table so we can eat?"

"Of course, that's what I came in here for." I stopped just as I was about to pick up one of the dishes of risotto and looked over at Carlos. He was so handsome, so talented and so smart. "I love you Carlos," I said. "I'm still not 100% sure what you see in me, but I love you more than anything."

Carlos put down the meat tongs he had in his hand, came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. "Never doubt yourself Babe. You are truly an amazing woman and I love you with all my heart."

He was holding me tight and nuzzling my neck when Lester walked in. "Jesus, you two. Every time I come into the kitchen to help, you two are getting busy."

"We're good Les, you can come in," I said, kissing Carlos once more before breaking apart.

Between Lester, Lula, Carlos and myself we brought all the food out to the table and the buffet. Carlos was smart and divided the main dishes into multiple serving bowls, so we only had a north and south side of the table passing-thing going on.

Somehow my mother ended up sitting next to Carlos' mother, and my father took the seat next to his father. This was either going to be a good idea or a bad idea, although I could see our fathers getting along just fine. I was starting to stress about my mom asking Carlos' mother too many personal questions when Gloria caught my eye and winked at me. Obviously she had a plan.

Abuela Rosa seated herself next to Lester. I assumed it was for an instant translation if one was necessary during the course of dinner conversation. My grandmother on the other hand wedged herself between Carlos and the other side of Lester and was clacking her dentures and looking at both of them like they were fresh meat. Oh boy!

Lula was sitting on the other side of my dad, Tank was next to her and Sy took the spot next to him. Brett was on my mom's right with Lauren next to him and of course I was seated next to Carlos so that we could play host and hostess. In this case it was more like host and make-believe hostess. I had no idea what I was doing, but I could fake it with the best of them.

"Thank you all for joining us for Easter today," I began. Told you I could fake it. "I wish I could take credit for all this wonderful food, but I just chopped a few vegetables. This was all Carlos, a man with many talents." And oh boy is he talented. "Thank you Carlos."

"Babe," and he took my hand and kissed it, then nonchalantly started rubbing his finger over my ring. His mother noticed and gave him a questioning look. "I'm sorry. We should have showed you earlier. I gave Stephanie this ring the other day. It's an antique black diamond. Want to show them Babe?"

I got up and walked over to his mom and showed her the ring. She put her hands on top of mine and looked at it closely. "This is gorgeous, Stephanie. Carlos?"

"I picked it up in Paris about a year ago. I always knew Stephanie and I would be together. I had it in my safe at Rangeman. Actually, it's our safe now. I gave Stephanie access to all my secrets." he wolf-grinned.

I figured I should show his dad and his grandmother too, so I made my way around the table showing off my ring. This felt like something you would do with an engagement ring, but at the moment the symbolism was lost on me.

My mother was looking very intently at Carlos when he mentioned that he had bought the ring for me a year ago. I wondered what she was thinking. It probably had something to do with Joe.

Before I became too introspective, I brought my thoughts back to the table. The food _was_ fabulous. I really couldn't believe what a great chef Carlos was. His mother had made some bread that she put in the oven to warm and I got up to get it before it was forgotten. "Gloria?" I called from the kitchen, "what do I serve with this? We have butter or olive oil."

"Butter would be fine," she said, getting up and coming into the kitchen at my question. "But if you'd like it better with olive oil, that would work too."

She helped me cut the bread and put it in a basket. We brought the butter and olive oil to the table and she gave me another one of her winks. I got the feeling this was going to be good.

There was just light conversation over dinner, which I attributed to Carlos' cooking mastery. Who wants to talk when you can eat? We had gone through the two bottles of wine my dad brought, so mid-way through the meal Carlos excused himself, went to our wine cellar and produced three more. There _were_ fourteen of us.

I had a feeling my mother was drinking more of the wine than anyone else. Every time I looked over at her, she had the wine glass to her mouth. I guess I gave her reason to get tipsy. After all, I certainly haven't followed 'Burg protocol, even though I never planned on rebelling.

I looked over at my dad and I saw him and Ricardo deep in conversation, so what if they seemed to be trading army stories, at least they were talking. I really wanted everyone to get along. I wasn't sure when the next time our families would be together in one room, but I had a quick flash that it would be at our wedding. God, were Carlos and I actually going to get married some day?

Perhaps _I _was the one who had too much wine. I was getting all hung up on this wedding thing. Geez, my mother must have drilled that into my head since I was a little girl. _Big white dress, veil, church, aisle, "The Wedding March" and a huge hall for your reception._ All I really wanted to do was spend the rest of my life with Carlos. Oh shit. Tomorrow we might find out just how much time we were going to have to spend _apart_. I guessed I had a panicked look on my face and when I looked over at Gloria, her bright smile and easy personality called me over.

I squatted down between my mother and Gloria and put my arms around the backs of both of their chairs. It was more to keep me from falling over in my heels in this position than for any other reason, but it felt like an intimate gesture.

"Stephanie?" my mother asked, slightly slurring my name so I knew I hadn't imagined the wine glass to her lips as often as I thought I saw it there, "what did Carlos mean when he said he 'may have to serve a little time'?"

"Mom, you knew Carlos had a government contract, that's why he would go out of the country for weeks at a time. Well, last month was supposed to be his last mission and he succeeded in doing what he was asked to do, only the helicopter that was supposed to pick him up and take him back to civilization got shot down before it got to him.

"The government couldn't get another one to him for at least a few days and Tank thought it was dangerous for Carlos to remain in that country any longer, so Rangeman sent one in to pull him out. I guess the government considered that going against a direct order, so both Tank and Carlos have courts martial against them. They have been keeping a low profile for the last three weeks, but now they decided to turn themselves in.

"We're going down to DC tomorrow. I'm hoping they won't keep him."

"Does this mean he's a criminal?" my mother asked.

"Of course not," Gloria answered, "what they did is more like a misdemeanor. I'm sure they'll just get a slap on the wrist."

I wasn't too sure about that, but it seemed to give my mother pause.

"Stephanie?" my mother asked again, "are you sure? I would hate to have to tell the neighbors that my daughter's boyfriend is in jail."

"Mom, even if he has to serve some time, I don't think it's like a regular jail with real criminals. It's more like military confinement," I said, even though I really had no idea. I was still too much in denial about this whole thing to even google it.

"I think it depends," Gloria spoke again. "When Carlos first told us about the courts martial, I looked it up online. They can be sent to a county prison while they await sentencing. But their crime doesn't seem to be that serious. I think they'll be free until their trial. And they do have Devon Patterson representing them. From what I hear, military courts martial are his area of specialization."

I was hoping she was right; I really didn't want Carlos and Tank to be locked up. That just seemed so unfair. After all our government was just going to leave Carlos in that hell of a place as a sitting duck to be killed or worse. If it weren't for Tank sending in the helicopter we might not even be having this dinner. Oh God, Stephanie, don't go there.

Thankfully Lester came over at that moment or I may have started to cry. "Beautiful, you have the most pained expression on your face. Is everything ok? Want to come outside with me for a minute and get some air?"

I got up from my crouched position and nodded yes to Lester. He led me by my elbow out to the deck by the pool. Carlos watched us go outside but thankfully he didn't follow. I really wanted to talk to Les alone.

"Les, what happens if Carlos and Tank really have to serve some time?" I asked as soon as we were out of anyone's hearing range.

"Don't worry Beautiful. No one will know. We're not going to broadcast that kind of information. Rangeman will be safe and Bobby and I know what we're doing."

"I know _Rangeman_ will be ok. But what about me and Carlos? I mean will I be able to visit him? I guess I should stay in the apartment on seven. I've been in such denial about this whole thing, I haven't made any plans and we're leaving for DC tonight. They have a 7:30 meeting with McHugh tomorrow morning…"

I was rambling on and now the tears really were welling up in my eyes.

"Shhh, Beautiful. Everything's going to be ok," And he put his arm around me, held me to him and let me cry. "Bobby and I will be here for you and Lula and you know all the men love you and will make sure you stay safe. I do think you and Ranger will have some time together though. It's going to take a few weeks for their court date to come up. I think they'll be free until then. And the love between you and Ranger is deep. It'll survive anything. From what I've picked up on and from what's sitting on your fireplace mantle, it's already survived years of pretending it didn't exist."

"Thank you Les, you're a good friend."

"Let's go back inside before we draw attention to ourselves. And you should probably stop in one of the bathrooms to fix your makeup. I don't think tears are very good for mascara."

We came in through the double doors and I snuck back to my bedroom to see what damage my emotional outburst had on my face. I wasn't sure what Les was going to say but I guessed he didn't need to say anything since he, Carlos and Tank spoke non-verbally anyway.

I freshened up and made an appearance back in the dining room just as Les, Tank, Lula and Carlos started to bring plates into the kitchen to clean up. Lula caught my eye and motioned for me to come into the kitchen with them.

"Tank and I just decided that I should stay in one of the apartments at Rangeman if they have to go away for any amount of time. My cousin Ernie accepted the mechanics job last week, so I can always stay with him until something opens up. Tank and Ranger are concerned because Pearce and Kraven are still on the streets and Rangeman and Rangeman's women are still their target. I hope you're taking this seriously too, white girl."

"I wasn't, but I just had a conversation with Gloria and another one with Lester. I'm going to stay in Carlos' apartment on seven. If you don't want to stay with Ernie, you're welcome to stay with me, we can put an aero-bed in the living room."

"Thanks girlfriend. I may take you up on that. I think Ernie snores."

I actually just remembered that Lula snores. Oh well, at least Carlos' doors close properly. I can probably keep the sound out.

"Carlos wants some of his men to move me in tomorrow while we're in DC. I guess he was thinking about Kraven and Pearce too. I was more worried about his men handling my underwear than I was about staying safe. What is wrong with me?"

"It's that uptight upbringing. The only one who would even care about your underwear is Lester, and it seems like he's been on good behavior since you and Batman got all cozy together."

"Ok, I'll let Carlos' men move me tomorrow. My mother is going to have a heart attack if she finds out those big, burly guys touched all my personal stuff."

"It's time she got used to it. Batman's men been helping you out for years and I only see more of that stuff happening now that you're _officially_ the bosses woman. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, Les just told me that he and Bobby intend to keep the both of us safe. I can just imagine what that's going to mean. Maybe we can have that Fugitive Recovery Certification course brought to us? Rangeman has a huge gym and there _are_ two of us. I looked it up, they specialize in small classes. We'd be a small class and once we're certified the guys will be more comfortable letting us pick up skips again. Bobby and Les can be a little smothering."

"I think we should talk to Batman and Tank after everyone else leaves."

We went back into the dining room to gather the last of the dishes and Carlos was smiling his 200-watt smile at me. Obviously the Rangeman radar already picked up on what was going on.

"I'm glad you decided to let my men move you, Babe."

"Carlos, how do you know? I was just talking with Lula?"

"Babe, you discussed it with my mother and you mentioned it to Santos. I think Lula may have been the _last_ person you told today, but she wasn't the only one. I'm glad you're finally taking your safety seriously."

"So I suppose you know about our Fugitive Recovery Certification too?"

"No Babe, but if you want to tell me, I'd love to know what you're thinking?"

"We can talk about it after everyone leaves. Lula and I had a thought."

He pulled me to him with that 200-watt smile still in place and kissed me on the top of my head. I guessed I was amusing him again.

"Carlos, Stephanie," my mother said, "this was a fabulous meal, thank you for inviting us. And it was so nice to meet your family too, Carlos."

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure," Carlos answered, and I could tell he really was being sincere. "I'd like to have more family gatherings here. Maybe when the weather gets nicer we can have a pool party and invite all our nieces and nephews."

In my head I did the math; Carlos had three nieces and five nephews and I had four nieces. Twelve. That's a lot of kids. But I thought it might be fun getting them all together for an afternoon; maybe Julie would be able to come up too. I guessed I'd meet them all at Maddie's party, even if Carlos couldn't be there.

"Babe, want to help me make coffee and bring out the dessert?" At the mention of dessert, my ears perked up and I was immediately out of my chair and out of my slump. Carlos had an arm around me and was nuzzling my neck as he walked me towards the kitchen.

"Mmmm Babe," he whispered, as he pulled me to him and kissed me. It was a great kiss, so I kissed him back. God can this man kiss. "Maybe if we close the door, I can get three minutes alone with you," he whispered and he continued his assault on my mouth, adding just a little tongue this time and closing the kitchen door with his foot.

He pulled me even closer to him and inserted a leg between mine. I could feel him grow hard against me and I was thoroughly enjoying the moment when we both felt the door push against us. Carlos had his foot on it so it didn't go anywhere but we felt a push again, followed by my grandmother's voice.

"Stephanie?"

"Yes grandma, one second," I said, breaking apart from Carlos. "Carlos is getting something out of the closet. One minute."

I smiled at Carlos as we broke apart, both of us slightly annoyed at the interruption. Carlos went to the other side of the room and opened the door to the outside. I guessed he went out to adjust himself while I let my grandmother in.

"I wanted to help you plate the pineapple upside down cake," she said. "If you don't release the springform right, the cake will stick to it and break apart."

I probably looked thoroughly kissed, but I didn't care. God what this man did to me. "Ok grandma, I think Lester put it on the counter, you told him not to refrigerate it."

Grandma went over to the cake and asked for a spatula. She was lucky I even knew what a spatula was. Whether we had one here was a different story and I opened the most logical drawer to look for one. I found something that could pass and gave it to her just as the kitchen door opened again, and Abuela Rosa came in.

"I'll put the cookies on a plate. Voy a poner las galletas en un plato," she said, both in English and in Spanish. She went over to the aluminum foil covered dish she brought when they first arrived. She opened it up and took out as assortment of cookies. My mouth watered as she put some cookies on the plate Carlos handed to her, now sufficiently cooled down to come back into the house.

"Polvorones con Canela," she said as she plated some small cookie balls. "Cuban Cinnamon Sugar Cookies," Carlos said in English and brought one over to me and put it in my mouth. I guess I moaned because all six eyes turned to look at me strangely. "This is fabulous," I said. Abuela Rosa smiled and added another kind of cookie to the plate, "Torticas de Moron," she said and handed me one. "Cuban Shortbread Cookies with Guava Paste," Carlos told me, taking it out of my hand and putting it to my mouth so I could take a bite.

God, I was in love. These cookies were absolutely wonderful. I watched Carlos' abuela take out a third kind of cookie. These looked like small cherry turnovers, and they looked yummy. "Pastelitos de Guayaba," she said handing one to Carlos before putting the others on the plate. "These are guava pastries," Carlos said, taking a small bite before putting the rest of the cookie to my mouth for me to taste. "They're made with cream cheese and guava paste. These used to be my favorite when I was a kid."

My grandmother came over to us when she heard Carlos' confession, knowing that he never eats dessert. "Can I taste some of that too?" Grandma asked. Abuela Rosa giggled and broke a cookie in half for both of them to have a taste. I was so happy the grandmas got along.

Carlos put on coffee while our grandmothers brought their baked goodnesses out to the table. I put coffee cups, saucers, cake plates and some forks on the lacquered tray we used earlier for the champagne glasses and was about to make my way to the door.

"Babe, I think you should divide that up, that's going to be very heavy," Carlos said just as I picked up and almost dropped the tray. His large arm came under it and safely supported the bottom so we were able to put it down on the counter without a disaster. Next time I'd think before I acted.

We divided everything onto two trays and took them out while the coffee brewed. I could see my dad eyeing the cookies. Even more than my mom and grandma's pineapple upside down cake, my dad loved cookies. I picked one of the mini guava tarts off the plate and brought it over to him. "They are all fabulous, but this one is to die for," I said as I put it into his outstretched hand.

My father took a bite and moaned. Guess we all just learned where I got that from. While dad was in his contented state of bliss I happened to catch my mom and Gloria exchanging some kind of information, I assumed phone numbers or email addresses on napkins. Maybe this was what Gloria's wink was all about. I was really happy to see this little exchange. Maybe they'd have lunch or go shopping or something and Gloria could talk some sense into her. I really liked Gloria.

While we were having coffee, our front gate buzzed. Since I was the closest to the video keypad, I went over to look and saw Hal's smiley face looking back at me. I guessed he was coming to pick up Carlos' family to take them back to Newark. I buzzed him in and dug up two more cups for coffee.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** It was a beautiful day and I was sitting outside at the pool in our complex and next thing I new I had a couple of chapters written. Fredda hasn't had a chance to read this one yet, but I've now written through Chapter 30 and wanted to post another. I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 28** _Brass with Balls_**

"I think that went well," I said as we watched the Hummers make their way down our driveway and through the open gate. "I saw your mother and my mother exchange I guess it was phone numbers. That's a good start, especially after your speech when I knew my mom wasn't happy."

"Babe, your mother was shit-faced. If she even remembers she has my mother's phone number, I'd be surprised."

As we walked towards the kitchen to clean up, I reflected on a few of the highlights of the afternoon. "Carlos, do you think they liked each other?" I asked, needing to know how Carlos saw the situation.

"It was a first meeting. I think our grandmothers took to each other and I think my mother adores you. That's all I really care about. I wanted them to meet, whether they like each other, time will tell."

I guessed he was right. I remembered the first time my parents met Dickie's parents. It was a freaking love fest, and look how that turned out. I think to this day my mother sends the Orrs a Christmas card every year. I'd rather Carlos' and my relationship last than the one between our parents. And _I_ really, really liked his mom.

Tank, Lula, Brett and Lauren were in the kitchen and had pretty much cleaned up everything and had started a second dishwasher load when we walked in. I was feeling like I got away with murder today, not only didn't I have to cook, I didn't even have to clean up. We put away the few things Tank and Lula couldn't figure out what to do with and the six of us retreated to the den to talk.

Brett was the first to speak, "Lauren can't stay in her and Jess' apartment even though Jess was the one who walked out. It's a rent-stabilized place that Jess had prior to their becoming a couple. I told her she could stay with me at Rangeman until she finds something. We're going to go back to her place tonight to get most of her stuff. I hope this won't be too much of an inconvenience, she doesn't want to move back with her parents."

Carlos responded to Brett's request. "It looks like there will be a few more women at Rangeman now. Tank and I want Lula to stay there too, especially if we have to go away for an extended amount of time. I think the apartment that Manny has been staying in will be opening up. Manny told Bobby that he's planning on moving into Mariella's place after he gets medical clearance and the scare to Rangeman's women is over. And you all heard that Steph is moving in with me on seven."

"Lula can stay with me if Manny isn't out and Tank and Carlos really have to serve time. She mentioned staying with Ernie, but it would probably be more comfortable for her if she stayed with me," I chimed in.

Lauren spoke up. "If it's ok with all of you, Brett and I really want to get going. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm kind of afraid that Jess may have been back to the apartment and done some damage."

"Lauren, let me know if you run into problems. You and Brett can stay here if you want," Carlos offered, "You just won't be able to come and go without an iris scan. But as long as you don't go out together that shouldn't be a problem.

"Thank you Carlos. We'll call you from the apartment. What time are you leaving for the airport in case we need to come back?"

"We have a 10:00 flight out of Monmouth. I guess we'll need to leave around 9:30."

"We'll call you as soon as we get to New Brunswick," Lauren replied and left with Brett to gather their things.

Now it was just the four of us, so Lula and I had a chance to talk about our plan. "I know you want to keep us safe, especially if you and Tank are out of commission, so Lula and I were wondering if it we could do the Fugitive Recovery Course at Rangeman? I checked them out online and they say they specialize in small classes. Wouldn't Lula and I be considered a small class? And Rangeman has that large gym...we'd only need a little portion of it for the two of us. This way you wouldn't have to worry about us traveling to Philly every day for the duration of the course," I practically begged of Carlos really not wanting to drive 45 minutes each way for the 3-month training period.

"We'll see if they can do that. I think it's a great idea. And we may not have to worry about start dates if they come to us. I'll have Bobby look into it tomorrow."

We went to our separate wings to pack. Carlos was optimistic and just packed for the overnight. I figured this could take a couple of days and pulled together three outfits-worth of clothes. I added my makeup and hair products and suddenly there was more than an overnight's bag of things to take with me.

Carlos looked over at my pile, "Babe, are you planning on doing some sightseeing? We're just going to be there for the morning."

"Carlos, I don't trust them for one second and I'm not wearing the same clothes for days on end. You know the old boy scout motto, 'be prepared', that's me."

As I wheeled my bag down the hall we saw Tank and Lula coming down from their wing. She had an even bigger bag than I had. I looked over at Carlos and stuck my tongue out. Yeah I know, real mature.

The house phone rang just as we got to the living room with our luggage and Carlos ran to his office to get it. I assumed it was Lauren, so I followed in case Carlos needed me for anything.

"Yo," his standard greeting answered on speaker.

"Ranger, it's Brett. We just arrived. Jess must have been here earlier. She ripped Lauren's clothes off their hangers and threw them everywhere. She's cut and shredded some things and smashed photos of the two of them. There's glass everywhere. The place is kind of a disaster. It's closer for us to go back to Rangeman than it is for us to drive to Belmar, so we're going to do that. I'm not on duty tomorrow, so I can take Lauren shopping. She's really upset or I'd put her on."

"If you want to go to the house, you're welcome to do so. We're going to be leaving soon, so you'll have to get in touch with Philipe to get in. His number is 973-344-8150. He'll grill you mercilessly and demand seven forms of ID, so let me know if you plan on coming down and I'll call him first to expect you."

"For now we're going to go to my apartment at Rangeman, but thank you. If Lauren wants to go to your house tomorrow, we'll call you before we do anything."

"Oh boy," was all I could say and Carlos nodded at my reaction.

Lester and Sybo were going to accompany us to the airport and then they were both off-duty for a couple of days. I for one knew exactly what was on Les' list of to-dos: bars and women. I didn't know Sy as well, but if I had to place a bet on him, I'd say bars and women too, maybe just not as many as Lester.

It's not that Lester is a big drinker; he just seems to go out with a different woman every weekend. Les is a handsome guy with a fabulous body and an outgoing personality. Women are attracted to him. And what better place to meet single women than in a bar? I don't know what got me on the Lester topic, but speak of the devil, he and Sy appeared out of nowhere to take our bags and pack the car.

There wasn't a lot of talk on the way to the airport and the Explorer was pretty packed with the six of us and luggage. I was in the third row with some of the suitcases and I for one was glad it was a short ride.

The really good thing about flying corporate is that you don't have to hang out in the airport or go through all that security, which Carlos and Tank like so they can carry on their guns. The plane was waiting when we got there and Devon Patterson, Carlos and Tank's lawyer, was already onboard. We just climbed in, buckled up and took off. It's a short ride into DC, about forty-five minutes, and we really didn't have too much to talk about on the way down.

"Rangeman was able to pull some strings and gain us access into Ronald Reagan Airport," Carlos told us. "It's a restricted airport and security is usually tight due to its close proximity to the city center, but we got direct clearance. We're also booked into Hilton's Crystal City hotel and a secure car will be meeting us at the runway."

He made it seem like a big deal. As this was only my second NetJets flight ever, I had nothing to compare it to, so I just accepted what he told me and went along as if all these safety precautions were something we did every day. It kind of made me feel a little like a rock star.

Just as Carlos promised, a car was waiting for us at the runway and dashed us off to the hotel. We saw a couple of men in black hovering around the check-in desk, so I assumed they were our Rangeman guard patrol. Sure enough, Carlos walked right over to them and they ushered us up to our suites on ten.

I was too exhausted to even explore the rooms. I went right to the bathroom, washed and moisturized my face, brushed my teeth and got into my pajamas. Carlos was sitting on the couch with the TV on, drinking bottled water when I came out. He called me over to him and pulled me down onto his lap.

"Babe, are you running away from me?"

"Never Carlos, I'm just really tired and wanted to lay down."

"Why don't you lay down here with me and if you fall asleep, I'll put you to bed."

I nodded ok and he spooned me next to him, pushed my hair out of the way and began nuzzling my neck.

"Mmmm Babe, you taste so delicious. I love kissing your neck," and he kissed and nibbled that sensitive area on my neck giving me goose bumps and making my nipples stand at attention. Then his mouth started traveling down my body, moving my skimpy pjs out of the way as he went. "And I love kissing your shoulders," he said, kissing lower. "And your arms," he whispered, licking the inside of my arm from my elbow to my wrist and looking up at me as he did. And oh God, he was turning me on. He changed direction and started kissing my stomach. "And your belly." He made a slight diversion to dip his tongue into my belly button then lick and kiss his way down towards the promised land. Oh man. I guessed I wasn't as tired as I thought I was.

"I need to savor every inch," he said, finally removing my pajama bottoms so he could lick and nibble my inner thigh, "in case I don't get to see you for a while."

Oh God, I didn't even want to go there. "Mmmmm Carlos," I mumbled instead, really enjoying what he was doing to me and wiggling down so he could accidentally come in contact with where I really wanted him to go. When his tongue finally touched with my labia, I moaned loudly. "God."

"You are so beautiful, mi ciela," he whispered, worshiping each fold with his mouth. "You're like the petals of a flower, so soft and delicate, mmmm I love eating you." And he took my clit in his mouth and gently assaulted it with his tongue.

Oh God, that felt so good. "Carlos, I need you now," I moaned.

He didn't respond, but he kept licking, kissing and gently sucking on me and I came loudly. Next thing I knew he was inside of me, and positioning me so he could hit my happy spot as he thrust into me. I remembered my lessons and used my love muscle to hold him tight and take him deeper. Oh God, I came so loud and strong, I was sure that Tank and Lula next door heard me. Carlos thrust into me a few more times and I felt him follow me over. He held me close to him and kissed me. "Babe that was beautiful. Dios, I love the sound of you coming. It's like music to my ears," he whispered when our breathing returned to normal.

Making love with Carlos is an experience never to be forgotten. He takes me places I didn't know I could go. It's like visiting the pyramids of Egypt, traveling down the Nile and then being launched into outer space. God I loved this man.

Always true to his word, after we came back down to planet earth Carlos picked me up and carried me to the bedroom.

When I woke up, I was alone. It was either still dark out, or the blackout curtains were pulled tight. I knew we had a 7:30 with McHugh and Colonel Briggs and I hoped I hadn't overslept. Carlos and Tank had promised Lula and I could come along and Carlos always keeps his promises, so I guessed he had gone to the gym. I dragged my still-weary body out of bed and found my iPhone. It was 5:34. I figured I should take a shower. If Carlos was in the gym, where I assumed he was, he would come back sweaty. And then a little evil smile came over my face; maybe he would join me. God, I was such a slut.

I had guessed right...on both counts. As I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, the shower curtains parted and a naked, sweaty Carlos came in to join me.

"I was in the gym Babe, I didn't want to wake you," he said wrapping his arms around me and kissing me under the waterfall that was coming from the showerhead.

He lathered up and let the water cascade over him, taking the sweat from the treadmill along with the suds, down the drain. I had a sudden urge to wash his hair. I reached for my shampoo and poured some into my hand. Carlos moaned softly as I brought my fingertips to his scalp to give it a gentle massage. I didn't know if he would like having his hair washed, I for one love the experience, but he seemed to be enjoying my feeble attempt at being a shampoo girl. I rinsed it and applied my conditioner, which I worked through, getting another small moan out of Carlos. Good to know his weaknesses, I smiled to myself, as I rinsed out most of it.

I knew there wasn't time for shower sex, but hell, any little intimate thing, right? And Carlos has such a perfect body, I couldn't help myself, so I grabbed and lovingly bit his ass as he was getting out of the shower. Wrong thing to do.

"Feeling playful, Babe?" he said as he turned around, picked me up and carried me back to the bedroom, upside down over his shoulder. We were both still wet and slippery and this could have turned erotic in a second, but we knew we had limited playtime this morning and just savored the touch of our bodies next to each other. Then he threw me down on the bed and went back to get us some towels.

While I did my hair and makeup, Carlos shaved, borrowed my hair products and turned himself into Hot GQ man. We were done at about the same time and had a choice of going down for breakfast, which of course that meant dragging our men in black along with us, or ordering in. The simpler of the two was to order room service and hope it didn't take too long.

I guessed Carlos promised an extra tip or something because our food was at the door in five minutes flat. Of course our men in black, not trusting anything or anyone, came in and took samples of everything to make sure Carlos wasn't poisoned before his meeting. I bet they did the same to Tank and Lula. I'm sure we'd have stories to trade later when this was all over.

We ate our breakfast in silence, but Carlos kept putting his hand on top of mine in a reassuring way and I knew he wasn't as calm as he looked.

It was time to leave, so I grabbed my bag and Carlos a jacket and we went outside. Our men in black knocked on Tank and Lula's door and they came out seconds later. We knew Devon was meeting with McHugh at 6:45, so it was just the four of us on this trip. Our Rangeman guards secured an elevator and we went down to our awaiting Hummer to take off for the Pentagon.

The building was huge. Our driver took us to the Concourse Entrance façade and our four men in black surrounded us with their best Secret Service protection stance and ushered us into the Pentagon. Man in Black #1 showed ID and gave McHugh's name and we took a secured elevator to the 3rd floor. The Pentagon was designed with concentric rings going around the floors labeled A through E. I was told that senior officials have offices on the E Ring, which are the only offices with outside windows. We were ushered into an E Ring office and were told to make ourselves comfortable.

I was sure they were watching us through one-way mirrors although Lula and I were on our best behavior. Lula looked really good and very conservative for her. She was wearing a dark blue suit with a red and pink blouse. Trust me, it worked. She had her braids pulled back into a bun-like thing and it looked to me like she'd lost even more weight in the last few days. Tank was also wearing a suit, as was Carlos; his was probably Armani. I was wearing the muted pink linen skirt and jacket Ella had packed for Jennifer Colón, what seemed like eons ago, with conservative wedged-heeled, peep toe, black shoes. Another Jennifer accessory. We looked pretty good, if I had to say so myself.

There were two chairs facing a large oak desk and two others chairs against the wall across from the window. Carlos and I took the ones by the desk, but I knew once McHugh showed up, I'd be switching with Tank.

Carlos took my hand in his and kissed my fingers. "I love you very much Babe. No matter what happens, I don't want you to forget that."

Just then the office door opened and in walked a middle-aged, grey-haired man dressed in uniform along with Devon. Carlos and Tank stood, so I guessed I should too. Lula did the same.

"Manoso, Sherman," the grey-haired man said, coming over with an outstretched hand, "Thank you for coming here this morning."

"Major McHugh," Carlos said, shaking the offered hand. McHugh then greeted Tank. Carlos put an arm around me, "Major McHugh, this is Stephanie Plum, my fiancé." I wasn't expecting that, but I was wearing my antique engagement ring, so if he looked down at my hand I guessed I looked the part. And Carlos keeps saying he wants to marry me someday, so that technically _could_ make me his fiancé. Tank introduced Lula. He said she was his betrothed. In my mind I couldn't think of another word for fiancé and I expected we'd sound like copycats. But as soon as I heard Tank use the word, I got that 'ah-ha' feeling.

McHugh got behind his desk, Devon pulled up a chair and Carlos and Tank sat in front of McHugh. I knew we were waiting for Colonel Briggs so I was a little shocked when McHugh got down to business.

"Colonel Briggs is running late, he asked me to start without him. Manoso, Sherman," he said looking quite stern, "there are some serious charges against you. Manoso, you disobeyed a direct order, deserted, and were considered AWOL for three weeks. Sherman, you disobeyed a direct order and were also missing for three weeks, although you had been in touch with me and I told that to Colonel Briggs. The Colonel would like to have an Article 32…an arraignment, next week on Monday the 16th, followed by a trial in three weeks time. I believe there is a May 8th date on the docket."

It didn't seem like McHugh was locking them up today, but Briggs had yet to show. Maddie's party was April 28th, so if Carlos was free after the arraignment, he'd be able to make her party and spend some time with Julie. I was glad those dates worked, for now.

Devon mentioned something about a plea bargain and that he was going to speak with the military judge before the arraignment. If it were me, I wouldn't say anything like that within earshot of the enemy. But I guessed they considered McHugh a friend. He seemed like an ok guy, I guessed.

There was a knock on the door and another grey-haired, shifty-eyed man in uniform came into the room uninvited. I assumed it was Briggs and I wasn't getting a good vibe from him at all.

Carlos, Tank, Devon and McHugh stood and saluted. "Captain Manoso, Lieutenant Sherman," he nodded in Carlos and Tank's direction. I wondered why he called them by title; they were no longer Army Rangers. Malone had called Carlos Captain too. Hmmm, what was that was all about? "If it were up to me," he continued, "you'd both be in the Brig, but you seem to have some friends in high places. There's an Article 32 set up for you for next Monday. I'll see you then." And he turned around and walked back out, closing the door behind him hard.

I looked over at Devon to see if his expression would give anything away, as Carlos, Tank and McHugh all had their blank faces on. He looked pensive. I wasn't getting a very good feeling at all.

"He seems to have a stick up his butt," McHugh said and shocked me that he would say something like that about a superior officer. "It seems personal to me," he continued, "did you do anything to piss him off?"

Carlos and Tank shook their heads no, but Devon opened his mouth, then maybe thought better of it. Unfortunately, McHugh saw his hesitation, "Patterson? What do you know?"

"It might be nothing, but I understand Briggs blames Ranger and Tank for him not making Colonel sooner. There was a power play going on when Ranger and Tank first got out of the military and started running missions for you. Briggs wanted to use them to further his career, but you had already signed them on. And I hear he holds grudges."

So that's what was going on. I remembered Carlos mumbling something about no one being over McHugh. Guess he didn't know Briggs' agenda. Wonder if he's a new Colonel? It sounded like Devon knew more than Carlos, maybe he'd tell us in the car.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 29 _A couple of notes in Trenton_

We were in the Hummer on our way back to the hotel when I finally felt it was safe to ask some questions.

"Devon, can they lock Carlos and Tank up after the arraignment?"

"They can, but some of Briggs' charges won't hold, so I plan to plea bargain with the judge before the arraignment."

"What charges?" I asked, curious about this whole courts martial process.

"Desertion for Ranger and away without leave for Tank. If I can get both of their charges down to disobeying a direct order we may be able to get this reduced to a Summary Courts Martial and then I'm going to try for dismissal. But McHugh is right; Briggs does seem to have a stick up his ass and from what I hear he's not too happy that Ranger made it out of Somalia alive."

Oh, so that's where he was. I thought that was supposed to be a secret? I guessed it would come out at the trial anyway, so Devon was just sharing something we'd learn eventually.

Since Devon was answering, I was going to try again. "Did you know there was anyone over McHugh?"

"There hadn't been before, but McHugh is only a Major so we had to assume that eventually there'd be someone in a senior position over him. And Briggs had been bucking for a promotion for a while now. They just made him Colonel a few months ago with McHugh reporting to him. I personally think McHugh will retire soon. Briggs is not a nice guy from what I've heard."

"Did you, Carlos and Tank know him personally? You mentioned he had a grudge against them."

"No, today was our first meeting with him, but I've been asking questions so I'd have ammunition and picked up the few tidbits I shared. McHugh on the other hand is a good guy; we've known him personally for years now. He's always done right by Ranger and Tank, and they've bent the rules before."

This was good; I was getting some answers. So I turned to Carlos to see if it was catching. "Carlos, you introduced me to McHugh as you're fiancé, was there a reason for that?"

"McHugh's been married to the same woman for almost forty years. He has three grown children and he's a very pious man. I figured that to him 'fiancé' showed more commitment than 'girlfriend' and I hate that word anyway. And he's just too old school for me to call you my 'woman', he would think that harsh. I thought about calling you 'mi amante', but he's also multi-lingual and I didn't think his religious upbringing would take well to that phrase either, although I like it. So I just stretched the truth a little...fiancé means promised, and I promised you we'd be together forever."

"What's 'amante' mean?"

"It means 'lover'."

Oh boy. That shut me up, and I guessed my question and answer session was now over.

We drove for a while in silence, but my wheels were still turning. They had to come back here for their arraignment next Monday. I wondered if Lula and I could come too. I mean if Devon couldn't work his magic, I wanted to know about it first hand.

It seemed like Devon was sensing what I was thinking. "Just so you know," he said to all of us, "Briggs is going for a General Courts Martial. We had heard it was going to be a Special Courts Martial, which is a tier down and more like a misdemeanor, but the bastard decided he has enough evidence for the big one. McHugh is siding with us, but this is Briggs' baby as he is the commanding officer."

"Does that mean you can't get them off?" I asked.

"I'll do my best. I know I can get a few of the charges thrown out, and bring it down to a Special. I was hoping to bring it down to a Summary, then have it dismissed. I still may be able to do that, but it'll make Briggs look bad. He's already pissed off, so I'm not sure what he'll do."

"Do we need to keep him happy?" Lula asked, "I mean after all, Tank and Ranger's contracts are over, they don't need to deal with him anymore."

"Unfortunately he seems to have his own ideas. He's a lifer and as you could tell by how he addressed Tank and Ranger, his philosophy is 'once an officer, always an officer'. We still want Ranger to get paid for his last mission. It amounts to a lot of money. We need to play nice until that check is cut."

"Would they cheat him out of pay?" I asked.

"Babe," Carlos answered for Devon, "they can do whatever they want. I've been putting about 65% of everything I make on these missions back into Rangeman, so that's a lot of operating capital we'd be losing. Not that it's going to put Rangeman into the red or anything. We're very profitable. It's just a huge inconvenience."

I decided to go for it. "Can Lula and I come down next week for the Article 32? I think we'd both like to be there for it?"

"I know the military judge that's going to be presiding over the hearing," Devon answered. "He likes to keep a closed courtroom, but I'll ask when I speak with him later this week."

So I guessed we weren't going to be able to go unless Devon could perform a miracle. Shit.

While we were in the Hummer on the way back to the hotel, Carlos called for a NetJets flight back to New Jersey and was able to set up a 10:00 out of Ronald Reagan, which was very close to our hotel.

"Lula and I are going to go to Trenton," Tank told us, "I convinced her to move in with me, at least until after the trial. We'll see if her allergy shots worked. If they didn't, I'm going to buy a bigger house and give my cats their own wing."

I knew Tank was attached to his cats, but wasn't that a bit much?

"I thought we'd go to Trenton too," Carlos said, "My men moved Stephanie in to seven this morning and I want to check out her old apartment and see if there is anything we can do to use it as a safe house. I also need to look in on some things at Rangeman. Babe, let's take your car. Technically no one can try to capture me for ransom now, but I don't want to provoke it until the word is out."

"Ok Carlos, but I get to drive." I said, still never having set foot behind the steering wheel of my new car.

We packed quickly and went back out to the waiting Hummer for the trip to Ronald Reagan. Our plane had already arrived and was waiting for us. Devon stayed behind to gather some more information, so it was just the four of us on this flight. If we didn't need a car we could have flown directly in Trenton-Mercer and gotten to Rangeman in under an hour, but Carlos wanted to have the Mercedes with us. I got the feeling he wanted to go out tonight too; he's been cooped up for a long time.

"Tank, why don't you and Lula stay on the plane and have our pilots make another stop for you. There's no reason for you to have to come to Belmar is there?"

"We have all our luggage from Turks and Caicos back at your house, but someone from Rangeman can pick that up tomorrow and deliver it to us. Thanks man, I can't wait to take Lula _home_."

I was starting to get excited, we'd be back in Trenton soon, and even though I loved our beach house, I was missing the bustle of city life. I couldn't wait to see Connie. I'd even been missing Vinnie, which kind of freaks me out because he's such a weasel.

We were on the ground shortly. We said our goodbyes to Tank and Lula who were staying on for the flight into Trenton-Mercer, although I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd be seeing them very soon.

There was a Rangeman black vehicle waiting for us and I recognized the driver. It was Pedro Velasquez, the Rangeman security guard who was hit by Malone's bullet last week. Obviously he was all healed and back at work. I had never met him although I did see him on the security camera, so Carlos introduced us as he put our luggage into the back of the Explorer.

It was a quick ride back to our beach house and Carlos held my hand and nuzzled my neck for most of the ride. He couldn't seem to get enough of me lately, which had me worried. Possibly he knew something that I didn't. But I had to trust what Devon just told us and not get all worked up about something that might not come to pass.

We had Pedro drive us directly to the garage. We didn't even stop at the house. Carlos had a set of keys on him and another set were sitting on the seat of the CL65. He opened the door and handed them to me. "These are yours, Babe. Are you sure you want to be my chauffeur?"

I nodded yes and got into the car. I adjusted the seat and mirrors as Carlos loaded our bags into the trunk and we followed Pedro out the gate once Carlos stopped at the keypad to allow us exit.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and I loved the way this car felt. Hmm, maybe Carlos was right. Maybe my Escort just wasn't drivable anymore. I could get used to this.

"Babe, deep thoughts?" Carlos asked, looking over at me as we drove west on 195.

"I was just thinking that I was being an idiot when you first offered me this car. It drives so much better than my Escort."

"Babe, you can't even compare the two, but I'm glad you like it. When I picked it up in Florida I bought it with you in mind. I want you to have nice things, you deserve them," he said taking my right hand and kissing it.

"Let's go out to dinner tonight, just you and me," he continued, 'I know a great Mediterranean restaurant where they'll treat us well and leave us alone. We can eat in the garden if you'd like…it's very romantic. They have heat lamps so you won't be cold."

"I'd like that very much. Thank you, Carlos. We haven't been out together in a while."

"I promised you dates and nice places. I plan to start keeping my word; though Babe, we do need security, at least for tonight, but I'll make sure it's discreet."

As we were making plans for the evening, Carlos' phone rang. He answered with the official Rangeman 'Yo', and I heard Bobby's voice on speaker.

"We moved Steph into Rangeman this morning, but I need to share something with both of you. There was a note pushed under her door. It said, _"I understand you and the Rangeman are together. He won't be too happy putting his dick into what I have planned for you. Hope you like wide open spaces."_

"Do they have any idea who left that? Were there any prints, latents?" I asked having heard that on speakerphone.

Bobby heard me and answered, "Hal was one of the men who moved you and he found the note. He preserved the area and dusted right away. We deposited Esposito into TPD's hands this morning; Kraven's already bailed him out. If I had to bet on it, I'd say Kraven left that note. He wasn't too happy that you, Santos, Lula and Ram were able to bring him in on his FTA and he was quite vocal about it."

God, I had forgotten all about Kraven until Lula brought his name up at Easter.

"Did he leave Lula a note too?" I asked, thinking about that day. Her and Ram were the ones that really took him down.

"I just sent Ram and Hal over to her apartment, I haven't heard back from them yet."

"Call us if you do," Carlos added and disconnected.

We were almost into Trenton and I was starting to feel anxious. I really didn't need another sicko after me, but at least I was moved in with Carlos and there was no safer place on earth. I guessed too that I'd have to let everyone know I actually made the move, although at this point no one would be surprised. The only difference is that the landline in my apartment would be disconnected. I needed to give people Carlos' number so that there would be a secondary way to get in touch with me as I seemed to have bad luck with cell phone batteries. I don't know why all these thoughts popped into my head just now, but I couldn't stop the flow once it started.

"Babe, want to go to your apartment first to make sure my men did a thorough job?" Carlos asked, breaking my train of thought.

I nodded yes and made the turn to head to my old building. I parked by the dumpster as I thought it might be the safest spot for the car. Carlos and I got out and went in the back door. Mrs. Bestler was manning the elevator. "Going up, second floor, men in black."

"Mrs. Bestler, you remember Carlos, don't you?"

She looked at me a little dumbfounded, but nodded yes. I don't think she ever knew his name.

"He's asked me to move in with him and I agreed. I'm not going to be staying here anymore."

"Good for you, but we'll miss you. It'll be real dull around here without you."

"I'll miss you too, but I'll stop by to visit, I promise," I said as we got off and walked to my door.

"For old time's sake," I said to Carlos, "want to let yourself in? I want to see how you do this."

Carlos reached into his pocket and took out a small key without teeth. He inserted it into the lock, hit it with the palm of his hand and it turned. He was in in under 2 seconds.

"Carlos, what was that you used?'

"It's called a bump key."

"No lock picking tools?"

"This is easier, Babe."

"Is it legal?" I asked, questioningly.

"For me it is," he smiled his 200-watt smile at me and we walked inside.

The place looked the same. The guys left everything intact, but I noticed they took my cookie jar. I guess it was an easy move because all my mismatched china was still in the cabinets, and all my rag-tag furnishings were still in the living room and bedroom. If it weren't for the empty closets and dresser drawers, it would have looked like I was still living here. Then I remembered Rex. He was still at the house in Belmar. What a bad hamster mommy I was, I didn't even think to get him and we were right there. I must have had a panicked look on my face because Carlos came over and put his arm around me.

"Babe? Is everything ok?"

"We forgot Rex," was all I could get out before I burst into tears.

"He should be in our kitchen on seven by now. I asked my men to bring him there, along with that blue Nicole Miller dress and those Jimmy Choos you wore on Easter. I thought you might want to wear that tonight. You looked ravishing in them. And I for one, want to ravage you later."

"Carlos, you scare me sometimes. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You seemed to have other things on your mind. I didn't want to bother you."

I was happy Carlos thought to get Rex and that dress and shoes. I would have to ask him about it later though. I _know_ I'd never worn them before yesterday, I can't imagine how he could have seen me in them.

Carlos was making notes on his iPhone; I presumed security measures he'd need to take to use this place, when his phone rang. He looked at the display and answered on speaker. It was Bobby.

"Hal and Ram just called, Lula got a present too. The note under her door said, _"What Ramirez did to you is nothing compared to my plan. Your big Rangeman boyfriend won't be able to save you. And he won't like you much after I'm done with you either."_

Ok, we were_ both_ the targets of a madman with antique torture equipment. Lucky us. I for one was very happy that I was safely moved into Carlos' apartment at Rangeman and that Lula was with Tank. I hoped she was planning on moving in with him soon too as her apartment wasn't much safer than mine.

"Does Tank know?" I asked Bobby, thinking that might change his plan.

"Yeah and Zero and Vince just dropped off their luggage from your house and spoke with him. He's not happy about this at all.

Carlos seemed pretty cool to me. I guessed my normal episodes must have made him used to the crazies who were after me by now. This was new for Tank.

"Babe, let's get going," Carlos said to me when he hung up with Bobby. "Is there anything my men forgot to take that you might need?"

I went into my bathroom to see if they packed all my assorted hair stuff and the other package of birth control pills that I was going to need shortly. When I saw my cabinets empty, I nodded to Carlos and we took off for Haywood.

Carlos beat me to the drivers seat, and we were in his garage in under ten minutes. I saw my POS Escort in one of Carlos' four spots and the sight of the dented, rusted, unintentionally two-toned vehicle made me cringe. We unpacked the trunk and walked arm in arm to the elevator and up to seven. Carlos took the suitcase I was wheeling out of my hand, fobbed the door open and picked me up bridal-style to carry me into his apartment.

"I want to make this special," he said kissing me and carrying me into the bedroom. The place had been aired out and smelled faintly of cleaning products, so I guessed Ella had been up earlier. He lovingly laid me down on the bed so that I was propped up on the pillows and went over to his huge walk-in closet. When he opened the doors, I could see that everything had been rearranged and that my clothes now occupied the side that I could see from the bed.

"Babe, you're finally here," he said and came back over to me and kissed me thoroughly. "Want to change into something more comfortable, and we can go out to lunch? I want to show Trenton my beautiful woman."

I got up, walked to the closet and noticed there were clothes in there I had never seen before. I went over to a pair of summer-weight wool, wide-legged bells and took them out. "Carlos, where did these come from?"

"I asked Ella to pick up some clothes for you that would be good for now. I remembered you had so little that wasn't either summer or winter," he said seriously. _I _couldn't remember what I had in my closet; I didn't know how he could.

"While we're on the subject Carlos, where did that blue Nicole Miller dress come from? You said you saw me in it, but I _know_ I never wore it before yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I don't remember it from Florida."

"I saw it on you in my mind's eye. It fit you perfect. It hugged your curves and the low neck showed off just enough of your beautiful breasts. I knew it would look stunning on you and I had Ella pick it up and send it to Belmar. The shoes too."

"Since when are you into women's fashion?"

"I'm into everything Babe. Men's fashion, women's fashion, furniture, dinnerware, the best cooking utensils; you name it and I can tell you about it."

"Seriously, Batman?"

"You haven't called me Batman in a long time."

"I guess your secret-side reminds me of Batman. Would you rather I not call you that?"

"I like that you see me as your super-hero, but I do prefer Carlos." He paused for a second, "You know I've been calling you 'Babe' since I met you, would you rather I call you Stephanie?"

"This is going to sound weird, but I like that you call me 'Babe', it makes me feel loved and cherished."

"You _are_ loved and cherished Babe."


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 30 _The Rumor Mill_

I got dressed in those big bells I found in the closet and put on a cotton sweater. Someone had good taste and knew my size perfectly. I had thought it was Ella, but after hearing Carlos' confession, I wasn't 100% sure.

Carlos changed too; he put on jeans that fit really nice around his ass and a black T-shirt. He took my hand and escorted me out the door, down the elevator and into the Mercedes. He got behind the wheel, which was fine with me and after fobbing through the Rangeman gate, took us to Pinos for lunch.

As it's a local cop-hang and it was lunchtime, I kind of figured I'd bump into someone I knew. Carlos parked and we walked inside with our arms around each other. Carlos asked for a table and as we were being ushered to one in the back I saw Carl Costanza waiting for a pick up order. I went over to him and nudged him with my elbow, my other arm still around Carlos.

"Stephanie, how are you?" he asked, leaning over and giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Ranger," he nodded, acknowledging Carlos.

Carl and I made first communion together, that's how far we go back and he's been kind of like a brother to me. He was one of the few officers who were there for me after I found out about Joe and Terri.

"I'm good Carl, what's up with you?"

"Same old, same old. Just so you know, Joe's been asking if anyone's seen you. I don't know why, but he's asked me and he's asked Eddie."

"He's been emailing me. He's the detective who caught my apartment break-in, so I guess he's found out something he wants to talk to me about. Hey, just so the rumor mill isn't spreading false information, I've moved in with Carlos at Rangeman."

I caught him looking at the ring on my finger. "Should I be congratulating you? Are you two engaged?"

"Not yet," Carlos answered, "but I did give Stephanie that ring," he said noticing Carl's eyes on my hand as he kissed me on the top of my head."

"That's beautiful, can I see that closer?" he asked

I wondered why he wanted to see it, men usually could care less about jewelry, but I gave him my hand nonetheless.

"Ranger, you have good taste, man."

"I know. Stephanie is the most beautiful woman in Trenton," he said pulling me close and kissing me again.

Thankfully Carl's food arrived before this got weird. We said goodbye and followed our now anxious waitress back to a table against the wall.

"Did you ever call Morelli back?" Carlos asked, once we sat down and our waitress handed us our menus.

I shook my head no and proceeded to absorb myself in the all-too-familiar fare.

"You should, you know," Carlos pushed. "He may have information to share."

"I just really don't want to talk to him right now. Carl will tell him he saw us. I'm sure he'll get the whole story including the ring on my left hand. If he wants to talk to me he can call me or email me again."

"Babe, call him later. You can tell him yourself."

I nodded and put my face back in the menu. Usually I'd order a meatball sub with extra sauce, but that had little appeal to me today, so I ordered a Greek salad. Carlos ordered a salad too, but with grilled chicken on his.

I guessed the idea was for us to be seen around town together, because after lunch we went to Giovichinni's to do some shopping, even though I was sure Ella had stocked our refrigerator. Gina was manning the cash register and I saw her take in my ring, then do a double take. "Stephanie, are you and Joe finally engaged?"

Fuck. "No Gina, Joe and I haven't been together for months. I'm not engaged, but Carlos did give me this ring."

"Carlos?"

"Ranger," I said, taking the arm of the hunk of a man standing next to me. "His name is Carlos."

"Does your mother know?" she asked, adding insult to injury.

"Yes, and my family met his family this past weekend."

"So you guys are serious then?" she asked, just as I thought I was getting rid of her.

Carlos fielded her question, obviously not prepared for the 'Burg bullshit that I knew was bound to start, "Stephanie and I love each other and I plan to marry her eventually, is that serious enough for you?"

I could tell he was getting annoyed. Carlos is a pretty private person and for him to say that to anyone other than family was huge. What he probably didn't know was that ten seconds after we left, Gina would take a break and be on the phone with everyone she could think of, spreading the news around.

I didn't care, yes I did. My family knew, my friends knew. Most of Rangeman knew, and now _all_ of Chambersburg would know. I guessed I had to call Joe before his mother told him. I had told him that Carlos asked me to move in with him, I just didn't tell him that I actually did it and I certainly never told him about the ring.

"Carlos," I said as we were leaving Giovichinni's with our packages, "I'm going to have to call Joe after all. Gina's going to make a few phone calls and the news will spread like wildfire."

"What news Babe?" he asked, totally oblivious to the ways of the 'Burg.

"You just told Gina you wanted to marry me, that's as good as news gets around here. I'm sure she's calling Joe's mother right now. I can't let Joe hear about the ring from anyone but me."

"I want to make one more stop and then we can head back to Rangeman and you can call him."

"Thanks Carlos. Where did you want to stop?"

"At the Bond's office. I haven't been in to see Vinnie or Connie since Rangeman bought the business. It'll just be a quick courtesy call. And I want to feel them out to see if they might want to go for the certification with you and Lula. They'll come to us for a class of four or more."

"Ok," I said, not actually wanting to have to practice takedowns with my cousin Vinnie. "What if they aren't interested? It _is_ a three-month commitment." I said as we got into the car and buckled up.

"I'll pay for four then, even if it's only you and Lula. I'm not going to take any chances since you both got those notes from Kraven."

Carlos parked right outside. He got out of the car and came over to open my door for me. He took my hand and kissed it as he helped me up, giving me a soft, lingering kiss on the lips when I unfolded from the car into his arms. Then we walked into the Bond's office with our arms around each other leaving no space between our bodies. Connie obviously saw the whole show, as the expression on her face said it all when Carlos opened the door.

"The lovers return," she said and her eyes made a bee line for my ring. "Don't tell me you and Ranger have gotten engaged too?"

"Not yet," Carlos said, "but my ring seems to be causing a huge stir around Trenton."

"Is that an engagement ring? Can I see it?"

"It's an antique black diamond," Carlos continued, as I showed my ring to Connie. "In the twenties, they were used as engagement rings, but for us it's simply a symbol of my love for Stephanie. I like that she's chosen to wear it on that finger though, it tells the world that she's my woman."

"Carlos just told Gina Giovichinni that he wants to marry me so we can't stay long, I need to run damage control."

I guess Vinnie heard us talking and came out of his hole, just as I said that to Connie. "Ranger told Gina _what_?" he asked.

"You heard right. I'll have to call my mother and Joe before the gossip-hounds get to them."

"They probably already know. Gina has the biggest mouth in Trenton."

Vinnie was right; I had to call _now!_ "Carlos I'm going out to the car, I have to make those calls. Great seeing you," I said to Connie and Vinnie as I ran out the door.

I called Joe first and thankfully he answered right away. "Joe, it's Steph, I have to tell you a couple of things before your mother gets to you," I started, not letting him even slip a 'hello?' in. In five seconds flat, I blurted out the story of my ring, Carlos' proclamation to Gina and my new living arrangements. I felt so much better. What I wasn't expecting was the loud 'FUCK' as Joe's reply.

"What is your story," I responded to his outburst, "Can't you even be happy for me?"

"Cupcake, he's a nut. Can't you see that?"

"Joe, we've had this discussion before. He's not a nut and we love each other. End of story. I wanted you to hear this from me, ok? I didn't have to call you. I'm going to go now, I'm sure your mother will be calling you shortly. I just wanted you to know the truth." And I hung up.

I took a deep breath, and then called my mother. "Stephanie, what is this I hear that you and Carlos are married?" my mother slurred, obviously having hit her stash.

"Mom. Think about it, if we had gotten married, don't you think we would have told you and the Manosos yesterday, when we had you over? Gina likes to exaggerate."

"You're back in Trenton. Why don't you and Carlos come over for a nice pot roast tonight?"

"I'm sorry mom, we have other plans," I said shaking my head and saying goodbye to my mother, just as Carlos opened the drivers' side door and folded himself into the car.

"I'm sorry I ran out," I said. "I was actually too late and my mother has been tippling. The 'Burg rumor is that we've gotten married," I said shaking my head again.

"What's so terrible about that?" Carlos asked, clearly amused. "I want to marry you someday, might as well get them used to it now."

"What did Connie and Vinnie say about the certification training?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Vinnie says he doesn't need it, he no longer picks up skips and Connie was afraid it would mess up her nails. I'm going to make them do it eventually, it's a requirement, but if they'd rather wait to hear how you and Lula liked the class, then that's ok too."

"Whimps," was my one word answer.

"Until we grow the office a little, it's probably a good idea anyway. With you and Lula as full-time students, they're going to be working hard. And Vinnie may be picking up skips yet," Carlos' 200-watt smile answered.

"When do we start?"

"They said they could send an instructor for a class of four. I'll call them tomorrow and see what they say. Maybe Hector would want to take the class too, he has no formal training."

Oh boy, we'd have street tactics thrown in. Actually it might be fun to take a class with Hector. I've heard there is no one as good with a knife as he is. Maybe he'd give a demonstration.

The ride back to Rangeman went smoothly. No crazies calling my phone, no notes that I knew of, and no more talk about my beautiful ring that seemed to be causing so much controversy.

Once again as we passed my parked Escort, I winced. I guessed I'd have to do something about that eyesore. "Babe, want my men to give it a proper funeral?" Carlos asked laughing.

"I know, it's pretty ugly, isn't it? But it still runs. Somehow I can't justify throwing away a car that still runs."

"Why don't you give it to Lula's cousin Ernie then? He can pimp it and sell it."

"That's a great idea Carlos," I said, giving him a huge kiss for the suggestion.

We stopped on five to say hello, see if Tank called in and to talk to Hector about the certification program.

Hector was at his computer making a beautiful forged passport for Bobby. The man had skills. Maybe he'd give me a Photoshop lesson if I asked nicely. Hector got up as Carlos approached, they did their thug hug thing, and from there on I was lost. When Carlos and Hector speak rapid-fire Spanish to each other, there is no way to tell the beginning of one word from the end of another. I finally saw Hector nod, then smile and I caught the word 'sí'. I had a feeling he just signed on for a three-month tour of duty with Lula and I.

Next we stopped at Bobby's office. Carlos and he did the man-hug handshake thing and I got a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Bobby told Carlos about two new large account inquiries that he was hoping Carlos could handle personally. It would mean wining and dining a couple of conservative heads of industry and Carlos looked pained at the prospect.

I've been told I have good instincts and good people skills and I wanted to help.

"Carlos, Bobby, I have an idea," I started as the thoughts formulated in my head, "Why don't we invite them _and_ their wives to dinner. Then I can go with Carlos and it won't feel so much like work. You know I'm good with people. We can get those contracts signed. I think if we just do a little homework first, it should be easy."

"What kind of homework, Babe? We always prepare initial blueprints as talking points. What else were you thinking?"

"Competitive analysis," I said, my business degree reverberating in my head.

"Talk," they both said simultaneously.

"I'm not talking about what makes us better than any of our competition, I'm sure they've already done those background checks and know its our personalized approach. What I was thinking was to research _their_ direct competitors and find out what kind of security they have in place. Then we suggest comparable systems, upgrades or something completely different. It's just another tactic."

"Babe, that's brilliant. How did you come up with this?"

"I don't know, it just popped into my head and seemed like a good idea. And you know," I went on, the thoughts still flowing, "with a lot of people telecommuting and working from home or even employees who do business on the road with their cell phones and iPads there's something else we should take into consideration. How are _they_ accessing company information. Remote server? Intranet? And is that information safe? Can someone else pick up on it while it's being broadcast? These are some other aspects of security you should be able to address to give our clients better protection."

Honestly, how I came up with that, I'd never know, but it had both Carlos and Bobby looking at me like I was a freaking genius.

"Whoa, Babe, now you're talking about something we don't regularly offer. Although...Hector can hack with the best of them. If he can get into their remote servers it might be something to bring up and it may be a way for us to offer some value-added services. Of course we'd have to hire, or purchase a data security company. But that's a way to bring Rangeman into another highly profitable security arena."

I got the feeling I just contributed something big to Rangeman, although I had no idea how to present the information. PowerPoint on an iPad maybe? But I was pretty sure I knew how to get it. And if I couldn't, Silvio could.

"Stephanie just brought up some very good points. I think we should have a core team meeting this afternoon and discuss some of her ideas. Is Tank totally out of pocket today, or can he come in? And I thought I heard Santos' voice when we got off the elevator."

"Tank is home, but we can get him on a conference call and Santos is here, although he's technically off today. Want me to set something up for 4:00?"

Carlos nodded and looked at me again, "Babe, I'd like you in on our team meeting."

"I don't know anymore than I just offered. It's not my area of expertise, but I can help you convince Lester and Tank that it's something to look into," I said not wanting to take credit for the thunderbolt that struck from who knows where.

The 4:00 was announced and Carlos went to his office to check on some things. I went into the break room to look for a bottle of water and bumped into Manny.

"Are you back to work?" I asked after our hellos.

"Bobby has me doing some part-time desk work. I'm still getting those headaches and they're kind of debilitating. I probably should take the meds, but then I won't be able to drive and I'd really like to get back out on the street."

"Bobby mentioned that you're going to be moving into Mariella's apartment. Congratulations."

"We've been talking about it for a while. We're actually going to go house hunting this weekend. Her apartment is just too small. You see how I am in tight spaces. I'm like a caged animal. I need room."

"That's really great, I'm so happy for you. Send my love," I said taking two bottles of water and heading out for the core meeting which was going to be held in one of the conference rooms on two.

I was the last one to walk in. I handed Carlos one of the bottles of water and he took the floor. He told Lester, and Tank remotely, my two ideas. And they sparked to both of them. Lester smacked me on the back when he heard my competitive analysis thought and practically kissed me when Carlos mentioned my idea of broadening Rangeman's horizons by additionally offering data security.

"I think we should offer Stephanie a job, or give her a bonus or something," Tank suggested after the applause died down.

"Thank you, but I think I already work for you."

"Just as a contract worker when you do distractions, but I mean a full-time job," Tank continued. "Those ideas are fabulous."

"What about my Bond's office job? Don't I already work for you?"

"I guess technically you do," he laughed. "Want to take on some additional responsibilities?"

"I don't know, that was just my brain free-associating. I'm not that good."

"But Babe, you are," Carlos chimed in, "I would very much like you to come with me when we meet with the two prospects. I'm not sure about your dinner with the wives idea, but I'd like you to come with me as our Director of Business or some other title. I think Tank agrees and Santos and Brown are both nodding their heads."

"Well if you really want me to, of course I can. But I think the first step is to see if Hector can hack in. That way we can show they are susceptible to data leaks and there would be more of a reason for them to let us protect their data as well as their walls. Then we'd need to sub-contract or something."

Carlos called Hector into the conference room, and by the way he walked in I could tell he thought he was going to be scolded or worse. But when he saw four bright, smiley faces looking back at him, his expression changed. Carlos and Lester told him in Spanish, so there would be no mistake as to what they wanted him to do and he smiled broadly at the challenge.

"I get in," he said with a smile as he left the conference room to take on cyberspace.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 31

With the business discussions over and Hector off to hack, Carlos and I called it a day and went up to seven to change for our dinner date. I felt yucky from flying so I took another shower and did my hair, which turned out really nice because of the low humidity. I put on some makeup and was about to get dressed when I heard Carlos' voice. I walked into the kitchen expecting to see him on the phone, but instead I found him feeding Rex a baby carrot and speaking to him in Spanish.

"Bonding with your adopted son?"

"He was looking at me kind of strangely when I came in here, so I thought he might be hungry. I gave him some fresh water too. Should we get him a bigger cage?"

"The pet shop told me hamsters are denning animals; he likes small, tight spaces. That's why I put the soup can in there. And when he wants exercise he goes on his wheel. I think he's content. But it's nice to know you were thinking about his well being. What were you saying to him?"

"I told him I'm in love with his mommy and that we're going out on a romantic date tonight and that he shouldn't wait up."

"You didn't?"

"Yeah, I did." And I got the 200-watt smile.

While I was getting dressed, Carlos came into the bedroom to borrow some of my Mr. Alexander products. I loved when he spiked his hair; he just looked so sexy, so I freely gave all my goodies to him.

The restaurant was in Ewing, just a short drive from Rangeman, and we were there in fifteen minutes. I knew Carlos said we were going to have some discreet security, but I didn't see anyone when we entered or when we were escorted out to our table in the garden.

Carlos ordered wine and an appetizer of stuffed grape leaves while we read our menus. He had moved my chair around, so that instead of us sitting across from each other, we were sitting catty corner. He had his hand on my thigh and since we were the only people in the garden, it felt intimate and very romantic. He moved his hand to my face, gently tilted my head towards him and he kissed me. God, I loved this man.

"I was so proud of you today, Babe. Those were really good ideas you had. And we were serious about offering you a director's position."

"Carlos, I'm not that good. It was some kind of divine inspiration. I'm happy to help out but I'm not a Business Director. Yeah, I took business courses in school, but I worked as a buyer. I'm just not qualified to do that job for Rangeman."

"How about this? You research the best data security companies for us to partner with or perhaps to buy out and come with me to the two prospect meetings. If the data security comes up, I'd like you to be prepared to present your ideas."

"I can do that Carlos."

"And then we'll talk further about you joining Rangeman as our Business Director."

Oh boy.

Just as I was beginning to panic about the possibility of being in over my head, Carlos' phone rang. He answered on speaker.

"I'm in," Hector's heavily-accented voice spoke, "both."

I saw Carlos' face smile broadly and congratulate Hector on his hacking abilities. Then he switched to Spanish.

I heard Carlos say twice, "No travesura."

What does travesura mean?" I asked when he hung up with Hector.

"It means mischief. Hector was asking if I wanted him to do something, or move some data around so that they would know someone gained access to their secure servers. I told him no. I just wanted to know that they could be breached. If we have to get in again as a demonstration, I'm sure he'll be able to repeat his performance."

Our waiter was hovering, so we quickly ordered so we could get back to our conversation. I ordered a chicken with grilled baby eggplant thing that sounded fabulous and very strangely, and I say strangely because we have very different tastes in food, Carlos ordered the same thing. Only he ordered a salad to go along with it.

"Carlos, did Bobby set up the prospect meetings yet?" I asked, switching back to our earlier conversation.

"I don't think so, but I'm sure they will be this week. Is that not going to give you enough time?"

"I think it should be fine, but I'll need to start on it tomorrow. Can you give me a cubicle to work in? I think someone's moved into my old spot."

"Want to work in my office? We can share," he wolf-grinned.

"I need to get work done. And what's your idea of sharing? Sharing your couch?"

"Babe, I try not to mix business with pleasure," he wolf-grinned again.

"Carlos, you know that's bullshit. You've been using double entendres, sexual innuendos and flirting with me for the last three years."

"I didn't flirt, I kissed you. And I tried to kiss you as often as you would let me."

I melted. There was no chance of having a serious conversation after that.

I took another sip of my wine and looked over at my perfect specimen of a...?

Of a what? How should I refer to Carlos. I know he hates the 'boyfriend/girlfriend' words. I can't call him my 'man' to my family.

"Carlos, I'm not sure what to call you?"

"Call me Carlos, Babe," and he looked at me like I was losing my mind.

"I mean how do I refer to you? I know you don't like the 'boyfriend' word."

"You can call me your man. You can call me Carlos."

"I can't call you 'my man' to my parents...they're old-fashioned."

"Try lover," he wolf-grinned.

I guessed I wasn't going to get anywhere with that one and our food arrived to save the day. Maybe I'd ask him another time.

Dinner was fabulous and Carlos was attentive. He kept touching me, kissing my hand and looking at me lovingly. It was a really nice date.

Our waiter stopped by to ask about dessert. I haven't had much of a sweet tooth lately. I guessed my hormones were nice and satisfied since I was having a lot of sex, but all of a sudden I really wanted the baklava that I saw on the menu. We ordered coffee, I splurged on dessert and as we were waiting, music began to fill the garden.

"Would you like to dance, Babe?" Carlos asked getting up, taking my hand and kissing it as he helped me to my feet.

The music was slow and dancing seemed to fit the mood of the evening, even though we were the only people in the garden. I let Carlos lead me to the make-shift dance floor, hold me close, kiss my neck and nibble on my ear as we danced. God he was turning me on.

"I had a nice time with you tonight," he whispered in my ear. "I love you very much, querida."

"I love you too Carlos. Very much." I whispered back. "What does querida mean?"

"It means beloved."

"I like 'beloved'. How would I say that if I were referring to you?"

"Mi querido."

"Then that's what I'll call you to my parents, 'mi querido' and let them figure it out."

The song ended and I noticed the waiter had brought the coffee and my honey-drenched piece of ecstasy to our table. We walked back to our seats with our arms around each other and Carlos gave me a long, lingering kiss before he pulled my chair out for me.

"Babe, I haven't made any plans yet," he said over coffee, "but I'd like you to meet Celia, Izzy and Alex before Maddie's party. I was thinking they could come out to Belmar for the day and we could entertain."

"You want to cook again? You just cooked."

"We can ask Ella if she would make some things and we can bring them out on Friday after work. Or we can have it catered by a place in Belmar that I've heard is good."

I had no preferences, but I loved Ella's cooking, and I'd love to meet his three other siblings and their families. Getting through this week was going to be the challenge though.

"Sure Carlos. We can go out on Friday and I'd love to meet the rest of your family. I think you should call them soon though, what if they have plans?"

"I think they'd get out of them to meet you. I can probably call Alex tonight. Just so you know, he's divorced with three kids...Derek and Dylan who are twins and he has a daughter Carla. Celia and Rob have been married forever and they have two boys, Sean and Spence. Izzy has a new boyfriend, I think I heard his name is James. Not sure if she's introduced him to anyone in the family yet. She may bring him, she may not."

"Are we inviting the kids too?" I asked, suddenly wondering how we'd entertain them. It wasn't as if we had a house full of toys and it was too cold to open the pool.

"They are more than welcome, but I think my sister and brother would like a little peace for the afternoon."

Ok, so it was settled, we were going to have another get together. I was about to suggest we invite my sister and Albert, but then I thought better of it. Val would want to bring the two little ones. Lisa screams like a banshee and Alexa is still breastfeeding, which is always awkward in social situations. We'd have them over another time.

I yawned despite the coffee, and realized I was very tired. "We should get you home to bed," Carlos offered seeing me yawn again.

The ride back to Rangeman was quick and I think I nodded off a few times. When we parked in the garage, I noticed my Escort was gone. I imagined Carlos gave it to Ernie. It was what I asked him to do, although I wasn't sure if he was able to find the title. I guessed with Rangeman, that didn't much matter, Hal or Hector could always manufacture another one.

Carlos had his arms around my waist and was kissing my neck as we waited for the elevator to come down to the garage level. Someone must have been holding the elevator on five, because it was taking really long. When it finally got down to us, and the doors opened, Brett and Lauren stepped out.

My eyes did a double take when I looked over at Lauren. She was wearing eye makeup and lip gloss and her still-very-short hair somehow looked softer and much more feminine. There was also a much more relaxed quality to her. I supposed they finally slept together.

"We're going out to the diner for a late dinner," she told us, taking Brett's hand. "Brett took me clothes shopping today and we were out until the mall closed. That diner down the block is open 24-hours, isn't it?"

I knew for a fact it was, so I enthusiastically nodded yes and started for the elevator door when Carlos began speaking. "Lauren, Stephanie and I are going to have Izzy, Celia and Alex over to our house this weekend so that she can meet them. Would you and Brett like to come too?"

"Carlos, I think you should also invite Daria," I said, knowing if it were me and all my siblings were going to be someplace and I wasn't invited, I'd feel as if it were intentional.

"We'd love to come," Lauren answered. "I want Brett to meet everyone too."

"Good. Then I'll email Daria."

I picked up on the fact that he said email as opposed to call. Guessed they tried to talk to each other as little as possible. Maybe I should call her?

When the doors closed I suggested that to Carlos. "I heard you say email, Carlos. I can call Daria if you want. This way it will be a personal invitation and _you_ won't have to speak to her."

"Babe," and the 200-watter.

Carlos came into the bathroom while I was brushing my teeth, having already washed and moisturized my face. "Babe, we're you serious about calling Daria?"

"Yes, I can call her."

"I'll text you her number then. I'm sure she's already asleep, but if you could get in touch with her tomorrow I would appreciate it. She pushes my buttons."

"I noticed. But when she left it seemed civil. Maybe you're both getting better." I paused to let that sink in, before I continued. "What day are we talking about, Saturday or Sunday?"

"I was thinking Saturday, this way it would give us Sunday to spend together before I have to leave for my Chapter 32. Dios, I hate being away from you."

"Maybe my class will start on Monday. Then I hope I'll be so wrapped up in learning that I won't be obsessed with worrying about you. Will you be able to call me if something bad happens?"

"If they lock us up, we won't be able to call. But we've asked Devon to talk to you and Lula in person if that happens. Are you ready to come to bed Babe? I promised I would ravage you."

"I'll be in in a second. Do you know where your men put my birth control pills? I finished the pack last night and I need to start on a new one. I know I had another month's worth. I checked the cabinets in my apartment, and I looked in the medicine cabinet here. I really should take one tonight."

"I'll call Hal. I'll be discreet."

Carlos came back a few minutes later with my pills in his hand. "They put them in the nightstand on what I told them was your side of the bed. There are a few other personal things in there. I didn't know you had a diaphragm, Babe."

"Oh my God, they found that? That was from Dickie. He had a phobia about birth control pills, he thought they caused cancer and he wouldn't let me take them. So I had to use that horrible thing. I remember trying to insert it once and it unfolded and flew across the room. God, I think we should burn it."

"Babe, it's rubber. It will smell. Just throw it out. While we're talking about birth control, have you ever thought about the shots? Bobby can give them to you. Each shot is good for three months and you wouldn't have to worry about pills and whether you took one or not. And if we decide to have a baby, you just stop. It's a lot easier than taking a pill every day."

"I've actually thought about that before, I think you only get a period once every three months or so. That's an added bonus." All of a sudden I dawned on me what Carlos just said, "What did you just say about a baby?"

"When and if we decide to have one, you just stop getting the shots."

"Do you want to have children Carlos?" I asked realizing it was something we'd never spoken about.

"It's a decision we'll make together. But I want to date you, propose to you and marry you first."

"I agree about it being a decision we make together, but do you want any more children? You already have Julie."

"Yes, Julie's my biological child, but she's being raised by the Martine's. I don't particularly feel like a father. If and when we decide to have children I'd certainly want to be there for them. I think I would enjoy fatherhood. Have you ever thought about children, Babe?"

"Honestly, I'm scared I'd make a terrible mother and I see how unhappy Val looks most of the time. It's a lot of work."

"Yes, but she has four. And we'd have help. You would make a great mother, Babe. You're very caring and compassionate."

"I almost forgot about Rex. I'm scared I'd forget my baby. Maybe leave it in a supermarket cart because I got distracted."

"I don't think so. I've seen my sisters. There's definitely some kind of mothering instinct that happens. You'd be great. And I could see you pregnant. You'd be beautiful."

"Carlos, you're scaring me."

"Let's go to bed Babe."

I took my pill and thought about what Carlos had said. The idea of the shots was appealing and with my history of forgetting to take my pills it could prevent an accident from happening. We really had a lot of high-quality sex and I was pretty sure Carlos wasn't into abortion as a means of birth control.

Carlos was already in our bed when I came into the room. He looked like he was deliciously naked under the sheet. I had on my skimpy boy-short pjs, and suddenly I felt over-dressed.

"Come here, Babe. I need to ravage you," Carlos said, holding up the cover for me to come under with him. And yes he was deliciously naked.

His perfect body and beautiful mocha latte skin made me forget all about being tired. I happily climbed into his open arms and breathed in the scent of his Bvlgari green shower gel. We'd have to bring some out to Belmar with us. God, there was only one thing better than sexy GQ Carlos and that was freshly showered Bvlgari green Carlos. He smelled so good, my hormones lost control.

"Babe?" Carlos asked, when I buried my face into his chest a second time for another deep sniff.

"God, I love the way you smell; I may have to attack you." And I sniffed my way down his body until I came to his erect cock, which I licked, then took into my mouth. I heard him moan and I knew he was happy about my decision. God I loved the taste of him. Between the smell, the taste and the feeling of his smooth skin in my mouth, I was in serious sensory overload. I looked up at him, saw ecstasy written all over his face and kept up my momentum.

"Babe, I need to taste you," Carlos said suddenly reaching down and lifting me up his body like I was a rag doll. All of a sudden his mouth was on my vagina and his fingers were rolling my nipples. I moaned at the unexpected change of events and let him take the lead. He used the fluid that flowed from me to tease my nipples and then to coax my ass until it opened for him. His finger easily went in and I came almost immediately as he massaged me from the inside and had his mouth on me from the outside. "God, Carlos," I moaned and came for a second time. This man took me to places I've never been before and I wished for them to never end. God. All of a sudden he was inside of me, and hitting my happy spot with his dick. He took my nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. And God, I came again.

I woke up not quite knowing where I was as I had gotten so used to waking up at the beach house. I was alone in the bed and then it all came back to me that we were in the apartment at Rangeman. I got up, washed my face, brushed my teeth and tied my hair back into a ponytail. I changed into my running clothes and went down to the gym. I was surprised to find Lula on one of the treadmills, ear buds in her ears and running at a much faster pace than I usually run.

"She took one of the buds out to address me, "Girlfriend, since when do you come to the gym at 6:30 in the morning? Actually, since when do you come to the gym at all?"

"I've been using the one at the house a lot lately, so I thought I'd keep it up while we're in Trenton. How did you get in?"

"I came with Tank. He said I'm family and a Rangeman employee by proxy and I can use the gym any time I want."

"Of course you can. We both are employees since Rangeman bought the bond's office. They should issue us fobs so we can get through the gate, and come and go on our own."

"Tank isn't going to let me go anywhere on my own until Kraven is caught. I hope your taking his threat seriously too. He's a madman. He almost made swiss cheese out of you once, if you remember correctly."

"Yeah I remember," I said, getting on the treadmill next to her, not really wanting to think about it.

I did my two and a half miles and Lula was still going strong. I dropped the pace to cool down and looked over at the odometer on her treadmill and saw that she had already clocked six miles. No wonder the weight was falling off of her. I probably should up my workout if we were going to partner in the training. Maybe tomorrow.

I picked up the towel that I had looped around the bar of the treadmill, looked over at Lula and finger-waved goodbye. As I turned to head out I noticed Carlos and Tank sparing on one of the mats, so I stopped to watch. They both had amazing physiques and were so agile, it was beautiful to look at them. I stayed there for a few minutes gawking until I got a chill from the air conditioner hitting my sweat-soaked body, so I left to take a shower and see what I could dig up for breakfast.

As I was finishing up, Carlos came in, obviously having showered and shaved at the gym. He borrowed some of my products and spiked his hair. Oh God, I was going to have to look at sexy GQ Carlos all day. Hoped my hormones could hold out.

"Babe, I think I like this look. If I were to do this for real, using the correct products to get this effect, what should I use?" Carlos asked.

"I've heard some of the guys talking while I was at Mr. Alexander's, and I think they use some kind of clay. But maybe that makes harder spikes? I like that yours are soft." And so sexy. "I could call and ask. I probably need a trim too. I'll make an appointment and pick up whatever he recommends for you."

"Stephanie, I don't want to scare you, but you have a crazy person after you. One of my men can go with you if I can't. I don't want you going there alone. That parking lot is the perfect place for a kidnapping."

"I keep forgetting about him. Lula brought up that Tank isn't letting her go anywhere on her own either. I hope we can catch him soon. When is a good day for you to come with me? I'd rather you be my mall companion."

"Do you think we can get in today or tomorrow? I'll work my schedule around you. Oh and just so you know, we moved some things around so you can have a pretty private space on five for an office."

"An office Carlos? A cubby would have been fine."

"I didn't want to displace anyone. This was one of the storage rooms that we weren't really using. I asked Hector to clean it out. It was mostly his computer stuff and a bunch of old software boxes. It doesn't have any windows though, so I hope you don't feel too claustrophobic. I found the chair we got for you the last time you worked for us. Hal had brought it into the control room, so I moved it back into your new office. And if you could use your laptop until a computer arrives for you, that would allow you to get started right away."

"I'm good. I have all the programs I need as long as I have internet access."

"I'm pretty sure that room is wired, but if it isn't the building has wifi. Your username and temporary password should be on a printout at your desk. I recommend you change the password. I hope you remember Rangeman regulations. You need to carry your ID and gun with you at all times. You're scheduled for an hour on the firing range on Thursdays at 10:00, and you need to put in three hours a week minimally at the gym."

"Aye, aye boss." I saluted, wondering where I put the gun Carlos gave me in Florida.

"It's in your cookie jar, I thought that was where you liked to keep it. I made sure it was loaded too. I would feel better if you kept it in my gun safe, but as I don't always follow protocol myself and there aren't any little children around, I thought your cookie jar would be ok."

I guessed I said that out loud.

"Babe, did you have breakfast yet?"

I nodded no. "I was about to take a look in the refrigerator and see what I could scrounge together."

"Ella can make you whatever you want. We just have to let her know. I think she was planning on sending up my usual but if you want something different, just call her on the intercom."

"Carlos, I can't ask her to make me breakfast."

"Of course you can. That's one of the things I pay her for; to make sure I have two healthy meals a day."

"Carlos, that's _you_. That's not me. I don't want to be an added responsibility."

"Babe," he said, pulling me close, his lips on my forehead. I could see the hurt on his face as he went on, "We're together now. We're a couple. When we stay here at Rangeman, Ella expects to cook for us."


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters; I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 32 _Hector_

I chose to not rock the boat and just had what Ella brought up for breakfast. Whole grain bagels, low fat cream cheese and smoked salmon. Carlos had an 8:00 a.m. meeting, so my plan was to hang around the apartment until closer to 9:00. I went to the cookie jar and found my gun. True to his word, it was loaded.

I wondered if I still had my Rangeman ID and the short tees and cargos Ella bought for me. I checked Carlos' closet and sure enough, the tees and pants were still on the shelf and my ID was with my passport. I didn't particularly want to look like I was going out to run security checks, so I figured as long as I was wearing black, I was good.

I grabbed my iPhone, my laptop, my ID and my gun and went down to five even though it was only 8:30. I just couldn't kill any more time. And I knew I had a job to do.

Hal was manning the control room and smiled broadly when he saw me get off the elevator. Bobby was in there with him and he looked up when he realized Hal was no longer paying attention to him, but was looking out at me. Bobby waved and called me in.

"Bomber, Ranger wanted me to show you where your office is. He and Tank are still in their eight o'clock but I expect they'll be done soon. I was able to set you, Lula and Hector up for your class; it starts on Monday. I'm glad you're going for the certification. We'll all feel better about you and Lula skip-chasing once we know you can handle anything. Come with me, your office is right next to mine."

I said goodbye to Hal and followed Bobby down the hall. I have to say, I've been down this hallway a million times and I never knew there was a storage closet there.

Bobby opened the door to my office, turned on the light and ushered me in. Although Carlos was right, it had no windows, it was larger than I imagined. There was a desk, a chair and a filing cabinet against the back wall and two guest chairs in front of the desk. On the desktop was a huge bouquet of yellow freesias in a milk-glass vase. The only people who knew they were my favorite flower were my family or Mary Lou. I wondered why someone would have sent me flowers; it wasn't my birthday?

"If you need anything Steph, I'm right next door," Bobby said, snapping me out of my daydream. I thanked him and went back to staring at my flowers.

I noticed a small florist's note under the vase with no personalization on the front. I opened it and melted. "Babe. I'm so proud of you. Welcome to Rangeman. All my love, C-."

I was standing at my desk misty-eyed, holding my note, when there was a knock on my already open door. I looked up to see Carlos and Tank. Carlos' 200-watt smile looked back at me and they both came in.

The first thing Carlos noticed was that I had put my laptop, phone and gun down on top of the desk. He picked up the gun and checked for bullets. "I see you came prepared for work, Babe." This was followed by another 200-watt smile.

Tank came over, gave me a hug and welcomed me. He then excused himself to go get some coffee and check on the control room.

"Carlos, thank you." I said, coming over to give him a kiss and a hug in appreciation. "They're beautiful. How did you know?"

"How did I know what, Babe?"

"That freesias are my favorite flower?"

"I didn't. I just thought you'd like them."

"Wow. For a moment I thought my grandmother sent them. I was wondering why. And why here, when she didn't know I was here."

"No, that was all me. I love the way they smell. They remind me of you."

"Babe," he continued, "We got some information from our Miami office. The cops found Garcia stuffed in a garbage pail this morning. He was dead."

"Did Rangeman, uh, you know..."

"No Babe, the Latin Kings have been looking for him for a while. They just got an anonymous tip."

"I feel better about that. I remember you saying you were going to make him disappear."

"Babe."

I changed the subject before I found out something I didn't want to know. "Bobby told me our class is on, we start Monday. I'm looking forward to it."

"Hector is too. He's just nervous about the written test, his English isn't that good."

"Well can't he take it in Spanish? Even the driver's permit test is available in Spanish."

"Good point. I bet it is, we just have to ask." Carlos then looked at his watch, "Babe, I have another meeting, Bobby seems to have my mornings all penciled in. Are you free for lunch? I'd like to take you out."

"I don't know. I'll have to ask the boss."

Carlos used his foot to close my door and came over to me. He pulled me to him and kissed me. It was a great kiss, tongue and all. "The boss says 12:30," he said as we broke apart.

I got right to work on my search for a data security company we could sub-contract or buy out. There were six in the Trenton area. Three were divisions of national data security companies, so I threw those out of the mix. The other three had potential. I picked up my phone and called the first to get information and prices for contract work. The woman who answered the phone had a bit of a snotty attitude. How would I _specifically_ know what we needed if we didn't have the need yet? I was about to hang up and call the other two when something about her whiny voice reminded me of my cousin. "Shirley?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"It's Stephanie. Your cousin."

"Holy shit. Did you change jobs? I thought you worked for your cousin Vinnie?"

"I still work for Vinnie, but I also work for Rangeman. Carlos asked me to get information on data security companies in the area. I didn't know you were working?"

"Who's Carlos? Is that the guy I heard you married?"

"Jesus. I'm not married. I'm not engaged. I'm not anything. Gina Giovachinni saw the ring Carlos gave me and questioned me about it. Carlos answered her and not knowing the ways of the 'Burg, he gave her a little too much information and...well you know Gina. Since when are you working?" I asked again, hoping to change the subject.

"I took this job about six months ago. We were having a hard time making ends meet on just Eddie's salary. Are you serious about sub-contracting out PrimoDataSecure? If I helped broker a deal, I could get a bonus. We could really use the money."

"I need to check out a few other places, but yes, we're serious. What can you tell me about them?"

Shirley rattled off a bunch of stats and I took notes. They started out as a mom and pop shop and added as-needed employees. They were now thirty-five strong. I liked that they were local, but I still needed to do the rest of my homework.

I said goodbye to Shirley and looked at the time on my iPhone. It was now 10:30, so I felt I could safely call Daria. I found the number Carlos texted me and used my office phone to place the call.

"Daria?" I asked when a woman's voice answered the phone.

"Yes?"

"It's Stephanie. Carlos' um..." I was going to say 'girlfriend', but I knew Carlos hated that word. Then I thought about saying 'woman'. It didn't seem like the right word to use with his sister, or with a lot of people. The word 'lover' was not going to come out of my mouth, so I finally just let it slide when Daria responded to my stutter.

"Hi Stephanie. I spoke with Lauren this morning, so I was expecting either you or Carlos to call. We'd love to come."

"I'm so happy. I thought this might be too last minute and you'd have plans. Carlos wanted me to meet your brother and sisters before Maddie's party and I'm sure he's worried about his upcoming arraignment or we would have given you more notice," I apologized. "And when we bumped into Lauren and Brett last night in the garage, I think Carlos made a quick decision to include everyone," I babbled on.

"No, we're good. It would be nice to see everyone. I've been so absorbed in Maddie's party that I haven't spoken to anyone but Lauren in weeks. And the only reason we've been speaking so much is that first she and Jess broke up and then she got involved with Brett."

I figured by the way she was speaking that Daria knew something. "Is that working out ok?"

"Seems to be. She's staying with him until she finds a place of her own. And she doesn't seem to be in much of a rush to find anything."

"Have you seen her lately," I asked wondering if someone other than myself saw her metamorphosis.

"No, I haven't, why?"

I didn't want to be telling tales out of school, but I had been so shocked by the new Lauren that I answered. "She looks fabulous. She was wearing makeup and she did something to her hair that made her look softer. She looks like a different person."

"Between you and me, I always wondered about the control Jess seemed to have over her. I felt that she never let her think for herself. Brett sounds like a good guy."

"From what little I know of him, he is. And I think you'll be surprised when you meet him. He's very good-looking."

"It seems like all of Carlos' employees are very good-looking. Must be a requirement."

I laughed because they all _were_ nice-looking guys. "I can't spend any more time on the phone Daria, I have a lot of work to do today. But I'm looking forward to seeing you on Saturday. Two o'clockish," I said, assuming if 2:00 was good for our Easter dinner, 2:00 would be good for his siblings.

"Sounds good, see you then." And we hung up.

I felt like I was on a roll, so I called the second data security company on the list.

"DataDependable," a voice answered, and I asked all my pertinent questions again. "Can you hold on for a minute, I want to put the owner on. This is Stephanie from Rangeman Security, right?"

"Yes it is," and I was put on hold with Muzak while I waited for Peter Burg to pick up.

"Peter Burg, DataDependable," came on the line while I was holding the phone at arm's length so I wouldn't have to hear the elevator music.

"Hi Peter, this is Stephanie from Rangeman Security. We're possibly interested in partnering with your company on some data security concerns for a few of our clients. I wanted to get some information on your cost structure and what you can offer in the way of data security."

Peter gave me his company's story and a little history and I felt that they were another good contender. I actually liked them better than Primo because the owner took the time to get on the phone with me. It felt very personal, like something Rangeman would do.

Two down, one to go. I looked at my list and was about to call the third company, when I had a thought. If Hector was able to hack in, maybe he should be working with me to find someone to keep the hackers out. It made sense, he would know what would stop _him_ from getting in, so I dug out the Rangeman phone list and dialed his number.

"¿Hola?"

"Hector, it's Steph. Do you have a minute."

"Sí."

"I have an idea I'd like to run by you, can you come here for a minute? My office is right next to Bobby's."

"Sí.Un momento."

"So far, so good. At least I understood everything he said to me so far."

I put the phone down and was thinking about the best way to articulate my thoughts so he would understand me, when he knocked on the door.

"Hector, come in. How do you like my closet?"

"This used to be mine. I keep software and parts here."

"Yeah, that's what Carlos said. I'm sorry I took your spot. I told Carlos a cubby would be ok, but he insisted I take this." I paused before I went on so he would know I really was sorry.

"Hector, I have an idea. My Spanish is almost non-existant. If I speak English to you will you be able to understand me, or should I get Lester or Manny to translate?"

"Speak easy, I understand."

Easy? What did easy mean? Slow? Simple? I decided it meant both, so I went for it and laid out my idea as simple and as slowly as I could.

"Sí," Hector said smiling, "I help."

I guessed I should run my new co-conspirator by Carlos. After all I didn't want to be taking Hector away from something that he really needed to be working on. I'd tell him at lunch. And speaking about lunch, my stomach was growling, so I assumed it was almost lunchtime and looked at the clock on my iPhone. It was 12:25. I put my gun in my drawer, grabbed my phone and ID and walked over to Carlos' office.

"Babe, I was just going to come and get you," and he got up and came over to me. He enveloped me in his arms and give me another great kiss. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, where are we going?"

"I thought it might be nice to go to this Cuban place I know. Are you up for that?"

"Sure Carlos. Anywhere is fine."

"I want to take the turbo, I haven't driven it in a while," and we headed towards the elevator.

God I loved this car. I felt like I was in a rocket ship. It was all high-tech and flashy. We got in and took off for parts unknown. Once we hit the highway I noticed that Carlos was going north, towards Newark maybe? We drove for a while and it seemed like we were heading towards the airport.

"Carlos, are we going to Newark?"

"Yeah, Babe. We'll be there in a few minutes."

"You said a Cuban place, is this somewhere near where you grew up?"

"Babe, you ask a lot of questions," and I got the 200-watt smile.

We got off the highway at an exit I'd never taken before. Carlos made a couple of turns onto a residential street and we parked.

"Carlos, where are we?"

"My mother's house. You can't get any more authentic Cuban than this."

"Does she know we're coming? I don't want to just barge in unannounced."

"Yeah, I spoke with her earlier and she invited us."

"You didn't tell me," I said adamantly.

"I know. I wanted to surprise you. Come on Babe, my mom made arroz con pollo."

"I thought that was Mexican?"

"The Cuban version is highly spicy, but not spicy hot. I think you'll like it and my mother makes it better than at any restaurant I've ever had it in. She made it specially for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah Babe, I told you she likes you."

We made our way down the front walk and his mother opened the door before we got there. She was wearing her version of Carlos' 200-watt smile and greeted us with hugs and kisses.

It was really nice to see his mom, dad and grandmother again. They were such warm, loving people; it was such a pleasure to be in their house. Carlos' mom invited us into the dining room. The table was already set with brightly colored napkins and placemats. I felt like I was on vacation in the Caribbean. And the smells that were coming from the kitchen were to die for.

"Gloria, Ricardo, Abuela Rosa, thank you so much for inviting us for lunch. Something smells fabulous," I said, and really meant it.

"Stephanie. Carlos. Come. Sit down. Everything is ready," Gloria said and pointed to two seats at the table.

She went into the kitchen and came out with a large serving bowl. The fabulous smells were even more fabulous up close. I guess I moaned because everyone turned and looked at me.

"Babe, maybe you should save that until you taste it," Carlos grinned at me.

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I made a sound. This just smells so good."

Gloria was spooning portions onto plates and handed me the first dish.

"Go ahead, Stephanie. Taste it," Ricardo urged.

I was taught to wait until everyone was served and seated before starting in, so I wasn't sure if I should accept his offer, or wait. I decided to wait.

"I can wait Ricardo, I don't want to be rude. But boy, does this smell fabulous."

Gloria finished serving and sat down with the rest of us. "Eat everyone. Stephanie, I hope you like this. It's arroz con pollo. My grandmother taught me how to make it when I was little. I think it's different than what you're used to. Let me know what you think."

I took a bite and let out another moan. "Oh my God. This is fabulous," I said with my mouth full.

And it really was. The combination of spices gave it a rich, complex flavor. And Carlos was right, it wasn't spicy hot, it was just perfect. We ate in silence, because I couldn't speak and eat at the same time. And my mouth was pre-occupied with Gloria's fabulous chicken and rice dish.

I suddenly remembered three things I forgot to do: I was going to tell Carlos about my borrowing Hector, I didn't make the appointment for a trim and I was going to call my gynecologist to see if I could get a prescription without having to trudge in, especially since Bobby was qualified to give me the shots.

I didn't think any of these topics were lunch with his family conversations so I just kept them in the back of my mind for our ride back to Trenton.

Carlos had a 2 o'clock meeting with Tank, Bobby and Les to talk about the new prospects, so we had to eat and run. Carlos and I gathered the dishes from the table, cleaned them off and put them in the dishwasher despite Gloria's 'that's not necessary's. We hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed back to Trenton.

"Carlos," I said, once we were on the highway, "I asked Hector if he could help me out with the search for a data security company and he said he could. I don't want to take him away from any of his Rangeman duties so I just wanted to check with you that it was ok."

"What do you want him to do Babe?"

"Well if he could hack in, it seems to me that he would know what would keep him out. I want to know that the 3 companies I've narrowed the list down to have the capabilities to keep out people who might be interested in stealing information."

"That's a good idea Babe. And how do you propose to do this?"

"I was thinking Hector and I could pay each of them a personal visit and we could ask questions."

"Aren't you afraid Hector's gang tattoos will scare them off before they know us well enough to appreciate that we only hire qualified people?"

"I thought about that. I thought while we we're at the mall for my trim I could stop into Macy's. There is a company called Dermablend that makes professional concealers. You and Hector have the same skin color, so I thought we could try out colors on you. We'd just need to hide the teardrops…his other tats are covered by clothing. I was hoping he'd be open to wearing a suit for the interviews too. I want us to come off as highly polished."

"Hector and I don't have the same skin color. I'm pretty sure mine has a bit more yellow in it than his. Maybe all 3 of us should pay a visit to the mall. Rangeman can splurge and buy him a suit too. I bet he doesn't own one."

Carlos stopped talking while he turned off the highway onto the streets of Trenton.

"Does Hector know your plan, Babe? I'd hate to surprise him with suits and makeup. He's also very sensitive about his accent and limited English."

"I haven't asked him. I wanted you to be ok with me partnering with him first."

"I would ask him before we take him shopping. And don't be surprised if he's hesitant."

I nodded. I was pretty sure I could convince Hector to go along with my plan. But Carlos was right. I had to ask him first.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 33 _Hector and the tailor_

We pulled into the Rangeman garage at 2:18. Carlos is never late for a meeting, so I knew we'd be there on time. Carlos fobbed off the camera by the elevator and we kissed goodbye in the garage. He was heading to a conference room on two and I was going up to five to find Hector.

Carlos loves to kiss, so it was a really nice kiss. Long and lingering, with his hands sneaking under my shirt to touch my skin and skim my nipples. God, when he kissed me like this I wished we could just go up to seven so we could kiss some more…which of course would lead to other things. Oh God Stephanie, you are such a slut.

We broke apart when we heard the elevator ding. Carlos fobbed the security camera back on and we took the elevator up. He left me at two, with a quick kiss that of course would be recorded on camera. It wasn't indecent, so there was no need for another fob. I guessed his men would eventually get used to the fact that he kissed me…a lot, and the ooohs and ahhhs would die down when the cameras caught something.

I got off at five and saw Hector in the control room, so I went right in. I thought I saw Cal on duty earlier, so I figured Hector was just filling in for a few minutes.

"Did you and Cal switch, or is he coming back?" I asked.

"We switch for an hour, do you need me?"

"It can wait. Can you come see me when Cal gets back. I want to talk to you about the prospect accounts."

"Sí. Cal be back 2:45, I find you."

While I had some time, I called Mr. Alexander and was able to get a 5:00 appointment. I hoped that time would work for Carlos. As much as I liked spending time with Lester or Hal or any of his men, I preferred to be with Carlos.

I sent him a quick text to let him know and started a search on Peter Burg, the owner of DataDependable.

While the search was running, Hector knocked on my door. I smiled at the ever-cautious expression on his face and invited him in.

"Hector, come in. Sit down." Only when he was in my office and seated in one of the guest chairs did I continue. "I told Carlos that I wanted to work with you on the prospects and he said it was ok, but he wanted me to tell you my plan. I thought you and I could visit the three data companies together and we could ask questions."

"My English not good," Hector responded.

"But your hacking ability is," I said, cutting him off. "What I'd like to do is put together some questions _before_ we go there. Carlos or Lester can work with the both of us so I don't misinterpret something you say. I can do the talking if you want. But I want you to listen and jump in if necessary. I know you'd know how secure something would have to be to keep you out. And that's the company we want to work with."

"Sí, I can do that." I knew I could get Hector to agree, now for the hard part.

"I want us to come off as the heads of the newly-formed Rangeman Data Securities division. Um, Hector, how do you feel about wearing a suit?"

"¿Suit? No comprendo."

"Matching jacket and pants? Tie? White shirt," I said, pantomiming putting on a tie, tying it, them putting on a jacket.

"Sí. ¿Y?

"Do you have one?

"No."

"Rangeman can buy you one." And I paused letting him take that part in. "Hector, how do you feel about covering up your," and I pointed to my eye, "teardrops?"

"Que?"

"You know, with a little makeup so they won't see the gang thing?"

Hector went off in Spanish. I didn't understand a word, but obviously Manny, who was passing by, did. Next thing I knew Manny was in my office talking to Hector in the same rapid-fire Spanish that Hector broke into with me.

I thought about leaving to go to the safety of Carlos or Bobby's offices. But I was the one who started this, so I felt it was my responsibility to stick around, even if it came to blows. All of a sudden the language brawl stopped and both Manny and Hector started smiling.

"Steph, can you tell me exactly what it is you want Hector to do, I think he might be a little confused."

"Sure Manny. I want him to come to some high-level meetings with me; I'd like the two of us to represent the new Rangeman Data Security division. I was asking him if he owned a suit. He said no, so I offered up Carlos' corporate card for us to buy him one. And the thing I just asked was if it would be ok to hide his teardrop tats with professional makeup for the meetings."

All of a sudden Manny burst out laughing. "I'm sorry Steph, there was definitely a miscommunication there. Hector said you pointed to your eye and said 'makeup' so he thought you wanted him to wear eye makeup and he lost it. He said he'd do anything for Ranger but he wasn't going to make himself look like a whore. Let me explain to him in Spanish."

I started to giggle to myself while I watched Hector's facial expression change. All of a sudden he let out a huge belly laugh.

"I sorry Steph," Hector said, "I didn't understand. Yes, I cover my tats."

I was so glad. I really wanted Hector to accompany me on the 'go-sees' and for a good five minutes I actually thought he was going to quit.

"Thank you Hector. Carlos and I are going to the mall this afternoon. We'd like you to come with us to get a suit and let a professional match your skin tone to cover up the tats." I looked over at Manny who was still in the room, in case we needed to translate what I just asked.

"Sí. ¿Que hora?"

"I have a 5 o'clock appointment to get my hair cut. You and Carlos don't have to wait with me. I can find you if I know where you're going to look for a suit."

Hector nodded. "I can come. I going out to fix a camera a tres y media. I be back las quatro."

"Tres y media, Hector?" I asked, not recognizing the words at all.

"Sí, three thirty," he grinned at me, and I got the distinct feeling he was trying to teach me Spanish. "Las quatro is four o'clock."

"Ok, so based on what you just said, be ready to leave here quatro y media. How was that?"

"Bueno. Four thirty."

When Hector left I called the third prospect, ProtectYourself. The person that answered the phone sounded strangely like the woman that answered DataDependable's line earlier and I had a sneaking suspicion that they were sister companies. I went through my questions all over again, and I heard the woman on the other end of the line hesitate.

"Stephanie, I think you spoke with Peter Burg this morning. He's the owner of both companies. After we set up the first company, DataDependable, he wanted to diversify. DataDependable was established for corporations and ProtectYourself is its residential arm. The difference is in our price structure and the amount of data we secure. Would you like to speak with Peter again, he can take you through his thinking for starting up the two separate entities?"

I actually thought that would be a good idea. I ran a check on him right after I got back from lunch, but I hadn't had a chance to read it yet.

"Sure, I _would_ like to speak with him again."

Peter picked up just as the Muzak began, so I didn't have to subject my ears to another round of Barry Manilow without the Barry.

"Hi again Stephanie. You must be doing your homework if you were able to come up with both of my data companies. What can I help you with?"

I asked him about the differences and he reiterated what his receptionist told me. It was basically pricing and data capacity. He used the same firewall configuration for both and was proud of his efforts. He sounded like a smart guy, so I figured while I had him on the line, I'd set up the informational meeting for Hector and myself.

"Mr. Burg, I was wondering if myself and my associate Hector Santiago could meet with you in person. Although I've been charged by Rangeman's executive committee to find a data security company to partner with, Hector is our resident computer expert and I want us both to feel good about any partnership."

"I'm around tomorrow and Thursday, shall we set something up for tomorrow? Say two o'clock, is that good for you?"

"l'll have to check with my associate," I said, wondering if Hector would be able to get a suit to fit off the shelf, or would he need alterations. "He's out on a job right now, and I don't expect him back this evening, is it okay if I call to confirm in the a.m.?"

"That's fine. I'll speak with you tomorrow morning then."

I felt good about my two prospects and called back Shirley at PrimoData to set up the meeting with her company. The phone rang about four times before going to voicemail. I decided not to leave a message but saw that it was only 4:15 and made a mental note that maybe PrimoData wasn't so primo after all.

I was just coming out of my musings when Hector knocked on my door.

"Ready?"

I looked at the time on my iPhone again and saw it was 4:30 on the nose. Did I really just spend fifteen minutes thinking about the fact that PrimoData's phone lines went to voicemail at 4:15? There was definitely something wrong with me.

I checked my drawer to make sure my gun was still there. It was. I locked the drawer, grabbed my phone and bag and addressed Hector. "What would you think of a company that let their calls go to voicemail at 4:15?"

"Maybe she in the bathroom?"

I didn't think of that but I decided to give them a quick call back, just in case Hector was right.

"Two seconds Hector. I want to try them again," I said as I opened my drawer, took out my notepad and found the number.

Carlos came over as I was dialing. I gave him the universal one-minute finger thing and let PrimoData's phone ring. Shirley picked up after two rings and I felt much better.

"Shirley, it's Stephanie again. I was wondering if I could set up an appointment with PrimoData's owners for myself and my associate to talk through the specifics of what your company can offer us."

I hit the speakerphone button as I asked, so Carlos and Hector could hear her whiny reply.

"When do you want to do this?" she whined nasally.

"I was hoping for Thursday, will that work?"

"Let me check their calendars, hold on," and she put me on hold.

"Both Lenny and Gary have open slots at ten and at four on Thursday, should I pencil you in for ten?" she asked, when she came back on.

"Yes, please," I answered, "and their last names are?" I asked, never having been given a formal introduction.

"I'm sorry. I thought I told you. They're brothers. It's Leonard and Gary Eisenberg. So should I put you in for ten?" she asked again, giving me the distinct feeling she was pushing for a 10:00 meeting.

"Yes, 10 a.m. would be fine. It's myself, Stephanie Plum, and my business associate Hector Santiago. We'll see you Thursday." I hung up, put the pad back in the drawer, closed and locked it.

"Babe, aren't you forgetting something?" Carlos asked, as I threw my phone in my bag to head out.

"I'm good Carlos, let's go."

"Babe. What did you just lock in your drawer?"

"My note pad. I'm good we can go."

"And what else Babe?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I dug the keys out of my bag and opened the drawer again. Then it hit me. God, I was supposed to have the gun on me at all times.

"Carlos, I don't have a permit to carry concealed and both you and Hector are dressed. Can't I just leave it here?"

"Babe. I don't care if you have to carry it in your hand. I want you to have that gun on you at all times when you're out on Rangeman business."

I felt like sticking my tongue out at him, but I didn't. I picked up the gun and threw it in my bag. If I got caught carrying, I sure hoped Rangeman could get me off.

We made our way to the elevator and down to the garage. Carlos fobbed open one of the Explorers and reached for the drivers-side door. Hector and I both went for the back passenger-side door at the same time; neither one of us was sure where we should be sitting in this dynamic.

Hector was an employee and when he and Carlos rode together, they shared the front seat. I was Carlos' woman (that _word_ again) and a temporary employee. When Carlos and I rode together, we shared a front seat. But when it was the three of us, it seemed neither Hector nor I knew what was correct etiquette. And it was really ok with me if I sat in the back this time, as I was pretty sure the gun thing was going to come up again.

"Babe, come up here with me," Carlos said, ending the standoff.

I moved my hand to the front door-handle, let myself in and hoisted myself onto the seat. I buckled up and we took off. After Carlos fobbed us through the gate, he addressed me, "Babe, do you know why I want you to carry that gun with you?"

"To keep me safe?"

"Babe, you have a madman after you and I can't always be around to protect you. You have to start taking your safety seriously. I for one am glad your certification includes weapons training, and I'll feel better when I know you're capable of taking care of yourself. Dios, I would be devastated if anything happened to you."

I knew he had a point, but still the idea of carrying a gun just freaked me out. I knew I wouldn't use it unless my life depended on it, and then I'd probably fumble and end up getting myself killed. I guessed the training probably was a good idea.

"Carlos, I'm sorry. I guess I've been selfish. I wasn't thinking about your feelings. I was only thinking about how much I hate them."

"You don't need to like them, you just need to be comfortable using them. I don't want us to separate once we get to the mall. Hector and I can wait while you get your hair cut and then we'll all go to look for a suit and some professional coverage for Hector's tats."

"You don't have to wait with me, I'll be perfectly safe inside Mr. Alexander's salon."

"Not negotiable, Babe. Kraven is not a nice man. I can show you pictures of what he's capable of doing and just what kind of torture devices he can get his hands on. Babe, he wouldn't just kill you, he'd torture you and mutilate you first. You'd wish you were dead and he'd just be getting started. Please don't fight me on this."

That shut me up for the rest of the ride.

We parked in the garage that's adjacent to the mall and took the elevator up to the salon. Mr. Alexander looked up at us strangely as we walked in, but when he noticed me he smiled. Carlos had been there with me before, but I thought I should introduce him and Hector anyway.

"Mr. Alexander, this is Carlos Manoso," I said, taking Carlos' arm. "My, um..." Damn, that lack of a word again. "My man," I tried on for size, and realized I didn't particularly like that word's connotation. And this is Hector Santiago, our business associate."

Mr. Alexander shook hands with the both of them and brought me over to his chair, while Carlos and Hector went to the guest seats by the door to wait.

"So what happened to the beast?" he asked, after he gave me a cape to put on.

"The beast?"

"The police detective who came here with you a number of times? He always looked like he was in need of a haircut."

"Joe. Um, we broke up for good a few months ago. I'm pretty sure you met Carlos before, he's been here with me a couple of times. Usually as my body guard."

"I remember him. He used to have a ponytail. I like this cut better."

"So do I. I think it makes him look like he belongs on the cover of GQ, especially when he spikes it. What products should he use to keep up this look, he's been borrowing my gel and mousse?"

"Gel and mousse will work, but I have a line of products that are specifically designed for men. I can show him when we're done."

"Thank you."

"I haven't seen you here in a while, have you been out of town tracking down bad guys?"

"We were in Florida on business and then we were staying at Carlos' house in Belmar. I moved in with him this week, so we came back to Trenton to make sure the move turned out okay," I lied slightly, not wanting to spread gossip about Carlos' court martial.

"You're serious then?"

"Um hmm, we are. He gave me this ring," and I showed Mr. Alexander my beautiful black diamond.

"Are you two engaged? My mother's engagement ring looked similar to this."

"We aren't. But Carlos keeps telling me he wants to marry me. And our parents' met."

"That's big," he said, shaking out my curls to see how they fell.

He always cuts my hair dry and he's told me more than once that it's not necessary to cut every hair. He says it's a lot like sculpting. Like trimming shrubbery. He spends more time looking at my hair from different angles than he does actually cutting. Whatever he does, it's an art and I let him do it.

When he was finally done, he sent me over to the shampoo girl and he walked over to Carlos and Hector. I couldn't hear their conversation, but I saw them all smiling, so it couldn't have been bad.

While I was sitting under the diffuser, I noticed him showing Carlos and Hector his line of men's products. Hector seemed really interested and the next thing I knew, Hector was in his chair getting a cut.

Hector's hair is curly too, so Mr. Alexander used the same techniques on him that he does on me. He has a lot less hair than I have, so his cut was done while I was still diffusing. He was shampooed and sent back to Mr. Alexander's chair for something. Wished I could hear what was going on.

I watched Mr. Alexander apply some product, then gently fluff his hair with his fingers to bring out the curl. Hector looked really happy with the results. I saw both he and Carlos buy some products and pay for them. Of course, I was still diffusing.

I was finally done, or at least done as I could stand, and knew my hair was dry enough that it wouldn't frizz at this point. I changed out of my cape and went over to Sophia, Mr. Alexander's receptionist, to pay my bill. She informed me that Carlos had already paid it, and had given Mr. Alexander and the shampoo girl generous tips too.

I didn't want Carlos paying for my haircuts!

I walked over to he and Hector. "Carlos, thank you. But I don't want you to pay for my haircuts."

"This is a Rangeman expenditure Babe. You and Hector are representing Rangeman on your 'go sees'. It's the least I could do. And I bought some products," he added, showing me his plastic bag of goodies. "I had to put them on my card anyway."

How could I argue with that? I kissed him and he pulled me to him to deepen the kiss. God, all of Trenton was going to hear about this. The girls in Mr. Alexander's salon were worse than Gina Giovichinni. We broke apart and I looked over to see Hector grinning at us broadly.

"Rangeman's in love," he said.

We both let that comment slide and left the salon with our arms around each other. Carlos wanted Hector to stop into the Armani Exchange first, so we found it on the directory and made our way there. As soon as we walked in the door, Hector went over to this dark grey suit jacket and pants that were hanging up. The style was fittingly called Soho. It had a slim cut and nice lines and I knew it would look good on Hector. He found his size and moved on to the shirt section. He picked up a medium grey shirt and paired it with a mostly white plaid tie and he went off to the fitting room, promising to come out and show us.

"He's got good taste," I said to Carlos when Hector was out of hearing distance. "He's going to look really hot in that outfit."

"Babe. Am I going to have to worry about you and Hector working together?"

"Carlos, you're the one who told me he's gay."

"And so was Lauren," he said, completely serious.

I punched him in the arm for effect. "Carlos, I love you and I trust you. You have to trust me. I'm not interested in Hector in that way. I just think we'd make a good team. And if I happen to have to spend my day with another hot-looking man, well that's a bonus," I grinned at him.

"Babe. You really think Hector is hot-looking?"

"Yes, I do. I think you've successfully hired the hottest-looking men in Trenton."

"Most of them don't come from Trenton."

"Well then you've brought the largest bunch of hot-looking men _to_ Trenton."

As I was going on about all the good-looking guys at Rangeman, Hector came out of the dressing room. The suit fit him really well, although the pants were a little long and the jacket could use a little tapering. I mumbled "wow" under my breath and Carlos turned and looked at me, warily.

"Carlos, are you jealous?"

"I told you Babe, I don't stray, and I'd expect you not to either."

Oh God. Sometimes my big mouth got me into so much trouble. As I was thinking about what I could say to undo my blabberings, a salesman came over to Hector. Carlos walked over to the triptych mirror, in case translations were necessary, and I followed.

Before we got into any kind of language problem, Carlos spoke first. "My employee, Mr. Santiago, doesn't speak much English. We'd like to get this suit fitted for him, and if possible take it back with us tonight."

"Alterations usually take a day or two, but one of our freelance tailors is here now. I can bring him out and if you're willing to work independently with him, he can probably do the alterations for you right away."

That sounded like a good deal to me, but I looked over at Carlos. I wasn't getting myself in any deeper today.

"Yes, that will be fine," Carlos said. "We don't mind paying, we really need the alterations tonight."

The salesman went into the back and came out with the tailor. He pinned and fussed with the jacket to get it to lay just right and then he did the same thing to the pants. I thought they just needed to be shortened, but the tailor thought they needed to fit his ass better too. When he was done, there were pins everywhere.

Hector went back into the dressing room to change out of the suit and I turned to Carlos and whispered, "Just so you know, you look even hotter in a suit than Hector does."

I got the 200-watt smile and then I realized something, Carlos has a huge ego.

While I was musing to myself about my newly-found information, Hector came out from the dressing room all-smiles. He had his shirt and tie with him to take now. He leaned over to us and whispered. "I have a date."

"With the tailor?" I asked.

"Sí."


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

Fredda had a chance to read this chapter and some others that I will be posting/re-posting. I feel so much better when she reads and edits first.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 34 _Walking Out_

I hoped that little announcement changed Carlos' perception about my relationship with Hector. God, I was starting to feel that for once in my life things were going well. I had a man who loved me, and I loved him. We saw a future together and I was proving to Rangeman and to myself that I could be a capable business woman. I didn't want big things like jealousy and the male ego to upset everything.

Carlos paid for the suit, shirt and tie and worked out a deal with the tailor who kept looking at Hector like he was lunch. He told us to come back at 7:00 and the alterations would be complete. I had a feeling that if Carlos and I weren't with Hector, he and the tailor would be leaving together.

We still had to hit the Dermablend counter at Macy's and since we'd have time to kill before we had to pick up the suit I thought I'd like to make two quick stops: Macy's handbag counter and Victoria's Secret. I really needed new sexy underwear now that I was living with Carlos. I threw out all my old period panties and replacements were necessary. Especially since I still wasn't sure about laundry protocol on seven. Was Ella going to do _my_ laundry too?

I didn't know how they would feel about me shopping so I asked while we walked over to Macy's. "Guys, I'd like to make a couple of stops after we pick up Hector's coverup. I want to get a new handbag that will look professional and yet be big enough to hold the gun. And I really need to stop in Victoria's Secret." Before they protested I added, "You don't have to come in with me."

"We'll talk about that later. Let's finish up with Hector first," Carlos said, sounding slightly annoyed.

Once we got into Macy's, I took them to the Dermablend counter. I only knew where it was because it was next to Lancôme where I get my mascara. I've stared at those before and after pictures for years.

The girl at the counter recognized me because she used to work the Lancôme counter. "Stephanie, how are you? What can I do for you?"

"I'm good, Genevieve. We're looking to hide my associate's tats so he can go out on calls with me," I stated, not wanting to have to go through that awkward introduction thing again.

"Sure, that's easy." She turned to Hector with her hand out, "I'm Genevieve, and you're..."

I answered for him just in case the language barrier got in the way. "I'm sorry, this is Hector Santiago and this is Carlos Manoso."

I saw the way she looked at Carlos, and as much as I hate the word 'man' and Carlos hates the word 'boyfriend' I felt like I needed to stake my claim.

"Carlos and I have been together for a while," I said, putting my hand to the small of his back for effect, "and I just moved in with him." There I said it and didn't have to use either stupid word.

"Lucky you," she said, ogling him again.

She then turned to Hector, which was a good thing or I might have had to pull my gun on her. "Let's get a good color match."

While she was trying out different shades on his hand she was explaining the three-step process. First you put down a primer which prepares the area. Then you apply the skin-toned body cover. Finally you apply a setting powder and brush off the excess.

She found the perfect color and had Hector sit down in one of the customer chairs, while she went to work. She applied the primer and let it dry. She then applied the color-matched body cover, dusted the setting powder over it and brushed away the excess with a makeup brush. Hectors teardrops were not only gone, but I couldn't tell that they were ever there.

She did a fabulous job. It was only when I looked at Hector again, with his newly cut and styled hair, and the lack of his distinct facial tats, that I realized he was a strikingly handsome man.

I noticed Carlos using his black American Express card to pay for the purchases while Hector assured Genevieve in broken English that he could apply the concealer himself. Genevieve threw in a handful of samples of special makeup remover and we were on our way.

As I led the parade to the handbag area, Hector made an announcement. "I'd like to learn good English."

"I can send you to a class, but are you going to have time between helping Stephanie with the data security end of things and going for your certification?" Carlos asked.

"Sí. Puedo ir a la escuela en la noche. Es importante."*

"I agree that it's important, but are you going to be able to do it all?

"Sí."

"Ok Hector, it's a deal."

We had reached the handbag department during their discussion and I found the perfect bag. Yeah, it was $248.00, but it was large enough for my iPad, had a front pocket for my gun, and it was professional-looking. I wasn't going to let Carlos pay for it, so while his back was to me and he and Hector we're talking, I took my Macy's card out of wallet and gave it to the cashier.

I was all wrapped up and ready to go when their discussion about school in English and in Spanish finally wrapped up.

"Babe?" Carlos asked, taking my package from me, "Did you get what you needed?"

"I did. I just want to go to Victoria's Secret and then we can pick up Hector's suit and go home. It's been a long day."

"We can drop Hector off and I'll take you out to dinner."

"Thank you Carlos."

"Babe, don't think I didn't see your sneaky maneuver. Rangeman should have paid for that bag–it's a business expense."

"Carlos, you've been paying for everything."

"Don't like being a kept woman, Babe?" He whispered, his lips brushing my ear and sending shivers down my spine.

I knew he was kidding me, but when he said it like that I got this unsettling feeling that in fact, that was just what I was. We were going to have to talk about some things, and soon.

I made a beeline for the exit back into the mall so I could get my shopping done with and we could pick up Hector's suit. The sooner I got out what was on my mind, the better. If this discussion didn't go the way I wanted it to, I guessed I could always move back to my apartment.

My inner voice took over when it heard what my brain was thinking. "Stephanie, will you grow up. You have a man who loves you. And you know you love him. Be an adult. You don't like something he said, you talk about it. You don't run away like a scared little girl." Stupid inner voice.

I guessed I was walking faster than Rangeman protocol allowed because all of a sudden a hand grabbed the waistband of my pants and pulled me back.

"Babe, I don't want you running off by yourself. Kraven could be anywhere. I may have to show you some pictures yet, even though I didn't want to."

"Carlos, I'll be ok. You can be a little smothering, and I just want a few feet of space. I'm going to go into this store. You and Hector can stay outside. There is only one door in and the same door out. I'll be ok."

I saw Carlos put on his blank face and I knew I overstepped my boundaries. Too fucking bad, we could talk about this later too.

I turned and went into the store and started to walk around when Stupid Inner Voice chimed in again. "Stephanie, you're using the same break-up tactics you used to use with Joe. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

I immediately turned around and walked back out, fully ready to apologize, but both Hector and Carlos were gone. I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone. I texted Carlos, "I'm sorry. That was very immature of me. Where r u?"

I got a text back a few minutes later. "Picking up Hector's suit. Santos should be outside VS. He'll take you home. We need to talk about this little stunt you just pulled."

Shit. Shit. And double shit. I turned and saw Les leaning against a directory and walked over to him.

"Les, I fucked up, didn't I?"

"The boss just called me, lucky thing I was in the mall. I don't know what happened, but I can tell you he's pissed. Did you get all your shopping done?"

I shook my head no. "No, I walked in to Victoria's Secret, realized I acted like a child and walked back out. Carlos and Hector were gone, so I texted him. He told me you'd take me home."

"Why don't we go back in and you get what you need. That will give Ranger time to cool off a little. I think you guys just had your first fight," he grinned at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, half expecting he was part of a contingency plan.

"I was in Radio Shack. We get the best deal on the small video cameras we use there, so I was picking up an order," he said, showing me his Radio Shack bag.

"Are you sure you want to come in with me?" I asked, not wanting Lester to feel uncomfortable.

"Beautiful, if I don't go in there with you, the boss will have my head. And besides, it will be interesting to see what you buy." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I smacked him in the biceps. He maneuvered me into a headlock and noogied my head. He let go and we walked into Victoria's Secret arm in arm. Les was a good friend.

I found what I needed and added a couple of lacy bras to the mix. I paid for everything and we exited the store. Standing outside the door were Carlos and Hector, suit bag and packages in hand.

"Babe," Carlos said and came over. He wrapped his arms around me, held me and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, tears in my eyes.

"No, I'm sorry, Babe. I shouldn't have walked off in a huff. Let's go out to dinner and talk about this. Lester can take Hector back to Rangeman."

I nodded yes and the tears fell from my eyes like a waterfall. "I thought I lost you Carlos. I love you so much, I don't know what came over me."

"Babe, it's ok. I love you too," he said still holding me tight and kissing the top of my head again.

I heard Les say, "I'm taking Hector back. I'll see you two tomorrow," but I didn't see them leave. I didn't see anything, I just held tight to Carlos and cried until I had no more tears left. I was pretty sure I soaked Carlos' shirt through. And it was a good thing it was black or you would have been able to see the mascara stains I left all over it.

I finally was able to pull my head out of Carlos' chest. I looked up at him and saw him grinning. "Babe, let's go. Do you want to stop back at Rangeman to clean up?"

"I can just stop in the ladies room here."

Carlos' face changed. His stern look abruptly locked into place, "Babe please. I can't go in there with you and I can't trust that it's safe. Please humor me; Rangeman or the restaurant."

"I'm sorry Carlos. I've messed up badly today, haven't I?"

"It's ok Babe. We'll talk later. Would you like to go to Marsilio's?"

"Actually no. I'd rather not eat in the 'Burg tonight. There are too many people who know me that frequent that place. I'd rather go to Ewing. Maybe we can go to that Mediterranean place again? Or Sal's?"

"I need to call for some security, so choose one."

"Sal's."

Carlos pulled out his phone and called Rangeman. Hal promised to make a reservation for us for 8:00 and was setting up some kind of discreet security.

It should only take us about fifteen minutes to get there from here, so I took Carlos' hand in mine and we headed for the parking garage.

"This was all my fault, Carlos," I started.

"Shhh Babe, we'll talk about it over dinner. No blame, remember?"

As we drove towards Ewing in the Explorer, it gave me time to think about the events of the evening, and two distinct things stood out. We'd have to come up with a term for our relationship that we could both live with. If "man" and "boyfriend" were both off-limits, we'd have to find something else.

And the second biggie was that Carlos had to trust me. I wasn't interested in Hector or anyone else. I loved and wanted to be with him, and that was it. Yeah there were other things; I did what I do when I felt squeezed, I ran. And I acted like a child. Carlos was only trying to keep me safe. It was for my own good and if we were going to have a relationship I'm sure there'd be more times like this than not where I'd have to live with security precautions in place.

"Babe?" Carlos said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips for a long kiss. "Care to share?"

I shook my head no. "I was just going over some things I want to talk with you about later. I needed to sort some things through. I'm good. Hungry," I said and my stomach echoed the sentiment.

"We'll be there soon. I hope Hal was able to secure us a table in the back."

"I'm sure he was, it's a Rangeman requirement," I joked.

*Yes. I can go to school at night. It's important.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story,encouraging me to write and some fabulous edits to this chapter. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 35 _The green-eyed monster_

True to his word, we made it to the restaurant in the next couple of minutes. With that uncanny ability that all Rangemen seem to have, Carlos found a spot right in front and we went right in. I wanted to stop in the bathroom for a quick cleanup, but the room was occupied. Carlos waited with me till the elderly woman that was in there finally came out with her walker. He checked to see that no one else was inside and let me enter. I noticed that he was escorting the woman back to her table as I closed the door. I'm sure he just scored a gazillion points with her family for that one.

I splashed water on my face and although I couldn't do much for the puffy eyes, the cold water made me feel so much better. I added a coat of mascara and came out to find Carlos waiting for me at the maître d' station.

"We have a table in the back room, Babe," Carlos whispered, putting an arm around me as the maître d' picked up a couple of menus and led us back to our table.

"Carlos, I'm sorry," I said again once we sat down and the headwaiter left.

"Babe, let's order, we'll talk about it later," he said and he opened his menu.

Our waiter came over to pour water and get our drink order. Carlos asked for a bottle of the house Chianti. I had heard they made it themselves and it packed quite a punch for wine, so I'd already decided that I was having no more than one glass, well maybe two.

They had fettuccini alfredo on the menu. It used to be my favorite thing to order in an Italian restaurant, but for some reason it hasn't called to me lately. Our wine arrived along with bruschetta appetizers, and I took a piece of the tomatoey, basily, toasted goodness while I continued to read my menu. I hoped something would pop out at me and say, 'here Stephanie, eat me,' but nothing did.

I took a sip of the wine and leaned over to Carlos, "What are you going to get?"

"I thought I'd try their lemon chicken. What are you getting?"

"Don't you ever get tired of chicken, Carlos?"

"No Babe," he 200-watted at me.

"Nothing is calling to me, yet I'm really hungry. Maybe I'll have pasta primavera and a shrimp scampi appetizer," I said, then I thought about it some more. "Maybe I'll just get a half order of the pasta. I wonder if they have whole grain. I've grown to like it since it was all you had at the house."

"I'm sure they do. Order it and see."

Our waiter came over to take our order and at the last minute I changed my mind yet again. "I'll have a shrimp scampi appetizer and do you have whole grain pasta?"

The waiter boredly nodded yes, so I continued. "I'll have your broccoli and pine nut pasta dish but with whole grain pasta."

Carlos ordered his lemon chicken and a salad and the waiter topped off both of our wines.

While we waited for my shrimp and Carlos' salad to arrive, Carlos started the anticipated conversation. "Babe, do you know why I walked away?"

"I wasn't being safe and I wasn't listening."

"That too. But did you know you ordered us to stay outside? I try very hard to include you in every decision that affects the both of us. I ask your opinion and I value your answers and your involvement. To be ordered to stay outside because you find me smothering hurt. If you really meant that, then I need to take a harder look at myself. If you didn't mean it and you were using it as a power play, then you need to examine why you said it."

No one has ever called me on my shit before. Joe would stay away for a few days until I calmed down. Then we'd have amazing make-up sex and everything would be ok until the next time I did something like that. It just hit me that I wasn't dealing with the likes of Joe anymore.

"I'm sorry Carlos. I didn't exactly mean it. I don't know what came over me. I think it was the two introductions in a row. I can't call you 'my man' unless it's to Lula or maybe Connie. It sounds too street and really out of place. You hate the 'boyfriend' word, so I don't know how to refer to you. It was that and then your reference to me being a kept woman that put me over the top. I acted like a child instead of telling you what really was on my mind."

Carlos took my hand and seemed to be thinking about my response. "Thank you Babe. I appreciate your honesty. I hope you realize I was only joking about the kept woman. I certainly don't see you that way." He paused to let me take that in, then he continued. "Why don't you refer to me as your fiancé? As I told you, it means promised, and I promised you that we'd be together forever."

"But we're _not_ engaged, and people will get the wrong idea," I said adamantly.

"Stephanie, how many times do I have to tell you that I want to marry you? If I asked you right now, what would you say?"

"When I thought you weren't ever coming back to me after you walked away, it made me realize just how much I love you and want to spend my life with you. I felt like I fucked everything up big time."

"Babe, you didn't answer my question. So you want to spend your life with me and I want to spend my life with you. Doesn't that say we're promised to each other?"

"It does Carlos, but 'fiancé' is another word I'm not going to be able to use- no one understands _that_ meaning of it."

Carlos got up and came over to my chair. He got down on one knee, took my hand and kissed it. "Stephanie, will you marry me?"

"Carlos? You said you weren't ready yet. I can't force you to ask me because I can't come up with something to call you."

"Stephanie, will you marry me?" He asked me again.

"You're serious, Carlos?"

"I don't joke about things like this. Yes, I'm serious Stephanie. Will you marry me?"

The tears started to flow from my eyes for the second time in a matter of hours. I was unable to say anything, so I just looked down at Carlos who was still on one knee at my side. "Stephanie, please say you'll be my wife," he said, taking a slightly different approach to get an answer to his question.

"Yes Carlos," I nodded between tears. "I'd be honored to be your wife."

He got up, put his arms around me and kissed me. It was a really fabulous kiss with a lot of intent.

"I wasn't planning on doing this today, so I'm not prepared with a ring. I wanted us to look for one together."

"You already gave me a ring Carlos. I'm happy with this one, it's the most beautiful ring I've ever had in my life."

"I want to get you one that shows my intention. If people don't understand the word promise they won't understand that this ring you're wearing now is a promise for our future together. It looks more like a cocktail ring. I thought you'd like something more… traditional…"

Our conversation was interrupted by the waiter bringing out our first course. He put it down on the table, realized he was interrupting something serious and scurried away with an "excuse me."

"Carlos, now that I know your intent and you know mine, should we back-burner this until you're ready? I feel like I've put words in your mouth. I don't want you to regret this evening or anything that's happened between the two of us."

"Just so you know Babe, I was going to ask you to marry me before the courts martial. This is just a few weeks early. I can't live without you in my life. I would never regret asking you to marry me. And you should know by now that I never do things I don't want to do. How about after your meeting with Peter Burg tomorrow, we go and look at rings? I'd like to show off my beautiful fiancé at my niece's party."

I didn't know what to say. Part of me felt like I had put words in his mouth. But it wasn't as if we weren't together now. We had the house and the apartment that we shared. I was already wearing a ring that he gave me and I had signed papers giving me in effect the rights of a wife. I looked up at my handsome man who was very much waiting for an answer from me, so I nodded my head yes.

"Ok Carlos, it's a deal. I love you very much and I want to be with you forever. God, if anything happened to you I'd be devastated too," I said and broke into tears again. I'm not normally an overly emotional person, so I wasn't sure what had gotten into me.

Then a thought popped into my head. Isn't this something you share with your family? Or with close friends? I felt like I needed to tell my parents we were engaged. Or Carlos' parents. This wasn't something you just did and forgot about. This was major.

"Carlos, shouldn't we call our parents and let them know?"

"We can. But I think once we have a ring we both love we should meet with them individually and tell them. Isn't that part of the engagement process? You show off your ring?"

"I don't know Carlos, I've never been very traditional. And I feel like I've altered your plan. Are you sure you don't want to take a couple steps back and do this the way you intended?"

"Things don't always go according to plan Babe. That's why we have a plan B. My original thought was to take you out to dinner and to a Broadway show. I was going to propose at dinner. We can still go out, you'll just already be my fiancé."

I looked down at my shrimp scampi and took a bite before answering. I felt like I fucked up big time today. But Carlos and I were still together, and probably stronger. I looked back up at Carlos, "I'd like that a lot Batman."

Dinner was really good. The food was fabulous and Carlos kept taking my hand and kissing it. I didn't want to put a damper on the evening, but I still had one thing on my mind that we hadn't discussed the jealousy thing. I wanted to be able to work with Hector or Bobby or Les without comments and innuendos from Carlos.

"Carlos," I said, thinking again how he said he values my honesty. "I have one more thing on my mind. You know how you asked if you would be able to trust me with Hector? I want to talk about that because I don't plan on going away. I want to be able to work with any of the guys without you feeling like I might be interested in them as anything other than business associates and friends. Can we talk about why you said that?"

"I guess I'm going to have to admit to another emotion, Babe. I was… jealous. When I heard you say you thought Hector was going to look hot in that suit, I felt really jealous. I want to be the only hot man in your life."

"Carlos, you _are_ the only hot man in my life _and boy are you_ _hot_," I whispered to him so he would know exactly how I meant that. "Just because I think your men are all good-looking, and they are, doesn't mean that I see them in any other way. God, I would hate for you to think I'd sleep around. I'm so not like that."

"But you were kissing me while you were going out with Morelli?"

"Carlos, the only times I slept with you during the Joe years, were when Joe and I had officially broken up or when we agreed that we'd see other people. And I was attracted to you from the moment I met you. When you kissed me, I _had_ to kiss you back. I loved you even then."

"Yes, but you kissed me. I don't want to find out that you've been kissing my men."

"Carlos, you're being silly. I've already kissed Tank and Les and Bobby and probably a few more. They were friendly kisses, kisses of appreciation for things they did for me. Sisterly kisses. You don't have to worry about me going to bed with any of them, or _any_ other man, for that matter. There is no need for you to be jealous. I love you Carlos. And I love _only_ you."

"I think I once alluded to my jealous streak. But if you tell me I have nothing to worry about, then I'll believe you. And my men would never hit on my fiancé."

"So is that why you asked me to marry you?" I asked with a twinkle in my eye.

"Babe."

We got the check and Carlos paid it using his black American Express card. I noticed that he left the tip in cash. I would have to ask him about that one of these days as this wasn't the first time I'd seen him do that.

We got into the Explorer and began the drive back to Trenton, classical music playing low on the radio. Carlos took my hand and brought it to his lips. "I can't wait to get you home Babe. Feel what you do to me," and he brought my hand to his thigh and then moved it up and to the left so I could feel the outline of his very hard erection through his pants.

I loved touching him and I loved the anticipation of what that beautiful hard penis would be doing to me shortly. God, I was such a slut.

"Maybe it's too far to go home Carlos," I said rubbing him and leaning in to whisper in his ear. "There's a nice big back seat here." I was getting very turned on thinking about having sex with Carlos in the Explorer.

"Babe," Carlos moaned and pulled off the main road. "What's gotten into you, Babe? If I'd known proposing to you would have turned you on this much, I'd have done it weeks ago!"

He drove onto a very secluded side street by the park and turned off the car.

"Babe, are you sure you want to do this here?"

I nodded yes.

"Ok Babe, but the best place to make love in a car is the front passenger seat with it powered all the way back. It'll give us the most room."

"Are you an expert Carlos?"

"Babe. I had my first car when I was seventeen. I've tried everything. But your crazy idea to do it in the turbo was a first. I didn't think _that_ was possible. Dios, it still gets me hard thinking about that.

"So what does the car sex-pert recommend," I teased him.

"You on top of me. If you face me you can lower yourself onto me. Put your hands and knees on either side of my torso and I can get deep inside of you."

I powered the seat back and got out of the car. Carlos climbed over the console, reclined the seat and laid down. I got back in. There was plenty of room. I undid his pants and pushed mine down. He was still very hard, which I wasn't expecting, but his cock looked so inviting, I took it into my mouth anyway. I love the way he tastes and having him in my mouth made me want him even more.

"Babe, climb on top of me, I want to show you something," he said, a few minutes into my oral adventure.

I reluctantly took him out of my mouth and lowered myself onto him.

"Babe, now swivel your hips from side to side so you can feel my penis glide over every inch of you. And if you swivel down, the movement will hit your g-spot too. And the nice and slow motions won't tire you out like up and down thrusts do. We can enjoy this a lot longer and I'm nice and deep inside of you. Dios, you feel so good."

I did as he instructed and, oh my God, he was right. His penis hit me in all the right spots as I hula-danced over his erection. It felt so good having him inside of me like this, I moaned on the next rotation of my hips over him.

"God, Carlos, I'm going to come."

"Use your PC muscles and come with me, Babe. It will be beautiful for both of us," he whispered, just as I came loudly for the second time.

I felt him follow me over and we just laid there with him still inside of me, until our breathing came back to normal.

"That was hot Carlos," I whispered into his ear when I could finally speak again.

"Hotter than Hector in a suit?"

"Way hotter."


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 36 _Gaining momentum_

We cleaned up as best we could with the tissues in my purse, got dressed, and switched seats again. Carlos continued our drive back to Trenton and I felt so much more relaxed. God, what a good orgasm can do for the soul.

I guessed I fell asleep because I woke up to Carlos taking my hand to his lips.

"Babe, wake up. We're home." I opened my eyes to see he had parked the Explorer by the elevator, in one of his personal spots.

"God, I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

"There's no need to be sorry, Babe. It was a long day. I'm surprised you stayed up as late as you did. Come on, let's go upstairs and get you into bed."

I nodded and Carlos got out of the car. He came over to my door, opened it and helped me up.

"Are you ok, Babe?" he asked, seeing me stumble as I took my first step.

"I'm good, just not awake yet."

"Want me to carry you?" he grinned at me.

"God Carlos, no. That would be caught on camera and I'd never hear the end of it. I'm good. Waking up now." And I was.

That was the last thing I remembered. I don't know if I washed my face or brushed my teeth, or how I got my pajamas on. Or even how I got into bed. But I woke up in my pjs without black smudges all over my eyes, so I must have washed up. Or Carlos helped me.

I was alone in the bed, but I smelled coffee so Carlos must have just put it on. I got up and made my way into the kitchen. Coffee was brewing, but Carlos wasn't there. I padded over to his office, no Carlos.

I guessed he went down to the gym and decided that would be a good thing for me to do too. I quickly washed up and pulled my hair into a scrunchie. I found my sports bra, leggings and sneakers, took my fob and my gun since I was supposed to carry it with me at all times, and went out the front door. The elevator came right away and took me down to the gym. Lula, Tank and Lester were on the treadmills, but I didn't see Carlos anywhere. I finger-waved hello to everyone and took my place on the fourth treadmill. "Have you seen Carlos?" I asked Les, who was next to me.

"He was in here when I came down about forty-minutes ago. I didn't see him leave. He's probably in his office."

That was a good enough answer for now so I upped my pace. As long as I don't have to talk, I can run a nine-minute mile, so I set the treadmill to 5.7 and started running.

I was thinking about the day and hoping I could get Manny or Les or even Carlos, if he was available, to sit down with Hector and myself so we could compile our list of questions for Peter Burg. Even if Hector had to write them out in Spanish and I had to make my way around the office, getting a translation here, and another one there, I was going to get that list together.

I was surprised when I looked down at the odometer. I had run three and a half miles already and I was still going strong. I figured I'd give myself another five minutes at this pace, then I'd cool down and maybe do some stretching. Since I didn't normally run for this long, I didn't want my legs to cramp up. After all, I had to put heels on in a little while.

I was cooling down when Hector came into the gym and walked over to the empty treadmill next to me. "Stephanie, Manny say he help. He be at your office at nine. Ok?"

"Thanks for arranging that Hector, I was going to ask either him or Lester."

"De nada. You're welcome. I see you ocho y media?" and he smiled at me.

Two can play this game. "Eight forty-five," I told him, more to have the last word than for anything else.

He grinned brightly at me, "Sí, ocho cuarenta y cinco." I gathered that was another lesson, so I nodded and smiled back. I finished cooling down and began to stretch out my hamstrings and Achilles tendons, and noticed that Hector hadn't moved and was watching me.

"Stephanie, want me to show you better?"

I gathered he had a better way to stretch out my muscles than my awkward stretch on the edge of the treadmill.

"Sure Hector," and he beckoned me to follow him over to one of the mats. He motioned for me to lie down, so I did.

"Ok I touch?" he asked pointing to my leg and crouching down next to me.

I nodded yes and he lifted my leg to his shoulder and very professionally stretched me out until all the cramps and crincks were gone. He did the same to the other leg and I felt amazingly good.

"How did you learn that Hector?" I asked, as these were obviously the moves of a professional, maybe that of a boxing coach.

"Mí padré, my father, was physical therapy, no therapist, in Bolivia."

"Is that where you come from Hector," I asked, as he was the one who started the sharing.

"Sí. Santa Cruz, Bolivia. My father, mother still there."

"How did you end up in Trenton?" I asked, now very curious.

"I follow gang. We arrested and I sent to live with mí padré's madré, my grandmother. We live in Newark. I no need to learn English, no one speak. I only in Trenton dos años, two year."

Wow, Hector was opening up to me. I had heard he was a badass, but I had assumed it was here in New Jersey, not South America.

"Thank you Hector," I said, thanking him for both the stretch and the information. "I'll see you in my office at ocho y media," I said, giving in to his earlier time demands.

I left the gym and went upstairs to shower, shave, do my hair and get ready for the day. I still hadn't seen Carlos and that disturbed me a bit because we always spent some part of the morning together. I saw that Ella had been up while I was in the shower and had left Carlos' usual breakfast of whole grain bagels, low-fat cream cheese and smoked salmon on a counter in the kitchen, so I assumed he'd be back to have breakfast with me.

I took a half of one of the bagels and made myself an open sandwich. I poured some coffee and sat down to eat when I thought I should do a little research before my meeting with Hector. I went back inside, got my laptop and powered it up. I googled 'what everyone should know about data security' figuring it was broad enough for me to find something.

Most of the articles were either over my head technical or just plain stupid, but I found one called 'Corporate Data Security is Everyone's Business' and started to read it while I ate.

It was a great article and exactly what I wanted to read for thought starters with Hector. It talked about common data stealing methods; breaking through firewalls, Trojan Horse viruses and the human factor. It also went into quite a bit of detail about less common stealing methods: people leaving their passwords out in the open at work, or on their smart phones. If you can gain access to just one password in a company, you maybe able to steal millions of dollars.

I bookmarked the article and left to brush my teeth again after having had that smelly smoked salmon for breakfast. I put on a white cowl-necked cami and a tailored blue-grey suit I found in the closet. I assumed it was an Ella purchase from my Florida trip and paired it with peeky-toe heels. I added mascara and lipstick and went downstairs with my new handbag loaded with gun, iPad, phone, ID and other necessities. I carried my laptop under my arm and sort of hoped I'd bump into Carlos on the stairs. I really didn't like starting the day without a kiss or a hug from my handsome _fiancé_.

All of a sudden last night came back to me. Carlos had asked me to marry him. Now I felt like I needed to see him to make sure he hadn't changed his mind. I'd text him when I got settled.

Hector was at my door when I arrived, so I opened it, let him in and put my stuff down. "Hector, two seconds. I just want to see if Carlos is in his office."

"He not there. I just come that way. He in a meeting with Tank, Bobby y Lester. Bad break-in last night at Bristol-Meyers."

Bristol-Meyers Squibb. That was one of the new prospect businesses Carlos wanted me to go with him to visit. If we acted right away after a break-in, we could pretty much ensure getting the contract. That's what was going on.

"Thank you Hector. I was a little worried because I haven't seen Carlos this morning. I thought for a minute that he got cold feet."

"Cold feet? What that mean?" Hector asked, probably never having heard the phrase before.

I guessed I was going to have to share. After all he just told me about himself.

"Carlos asked me to marry him last night. I thought he might have had a change of heart and that he was avoiding me."

"Change of heart? No, he heart you much. I happy for you. Nice."

I guessed that meant that Hector approved. I hoped he didn't have as big a mouth as Lester or this would be all over the office in no time.

"Hector, please don't say anything yet. He wants to take me to look at rings after we get back from our meeting at DataDependable this afternoon."

"I no say nothing. Is cool."

"Thank you." I opened my laptop, found the bookmarked page and passed it over to him. "Here's a blog I found this morning. Do you know anything about what it's referring to? Trojan Horses? Firewalls?

"Sí. I made a list. I try English, but we need Manny. I get mixed."

Thank God Manny knocked on my door at that moment, all smiles hearing that he really was needed. Hector took his list out of his pocket and gave it to Manny. I handed him my laptop with the Corporate Data Security blog open so that he could translate it if necessary.

Manny and Hector were speaking rapid-fire Spanish to each other, so I just sat back and watched the two of them, picking up a word like 'sí' or 'bien' every once in a while. But there was nothing that I could use to judge how their conversation was going.

Finally Manny picked up my laptop and read the article. He turned and spoke to me.

"It looks like you two are on the same page. Hector's notes talk about secure firewalls and using cookies and Trojan horses to dig for information. He mentions something about keyloggers. He says that keyloggers are programs that record computer strokes and send them to a remote computer. He also talks about password protection. If you want, I can translate his notes word-for-word for you."

"Yes please Manny, that would be great. I want to be able to ask smart questions. This article gave me a little ammunition, but I'm not going to be able to come off as an expert without Hector's notes."

Manny and Hector left my office with Hector's scribblings and the url for the blog I found. They were going to Manny's cubicle and promised to be back in 20 minutes with a compiled list in English that we'd both be able to talk from. How they were going to do that, I had no idea. But I trusted Manny and Hector to pull it off.

I took the time to read the search reports that I ran on Peter Burg, but never read. He graduated from MIT, so I figured that that made him a really smart guy. Why he'd choose to have his own businesses instead of working for a major corporation eluded me. But people have their own reasons for everything.

I also started searches on Leonard and Gary Eisenberg, the owners of PrimoData, the company my cousin Shirley worked for. They would take a while to run, especially on my antiquated laptop, so I went to the breakroom to see if I could get a bottle of water.

I bumped into Brett who was just putting something into the refrigerator. It was unusual to see Brett during the day, as he preferred to work the night shift.

"Hey, how are you doing? How's Lauren?"

"We're good. I just drove her to work and I'm waiting to see Bobby. I'm going to try to get myself back on days or at least I'd like to switch it up. Lauren and I don't seem to have much time to spend with each other the way it is now. I hope he's not going to be angry. The guys knew they could always depend on me to work the graveyard shift before."

"I'm sure he'll take that into consideration. You've been working nights for years. It someone else's turn."

"Thanks Steph. That was too easy. I wish you were the boss."

"Good luck with everything. And if I don't see you before, I'll see you at the house on Saturday. You guys are coming, right?"

"Yeah, we'll be there. I'm just a little nervous about meeting everyone."

"Me too."

"That's right, I forgot, you don't know them either."

"We can hang out together if it gets too scary. I'll see you later. I'm running a search and then Hector and I are going out to meet with DataDependable."

"Good luck with that. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Thanks."

I grabbed a bottle of water and went back to my office. Carlos was sitting in my chair when I got there and it just felt so good to see him. I put my water down and went right into his arms for a long kiss and a hug.

"Mmmmm Carlos, I missed you this morning," I said, kissing him again.

"Sorry Babe, we had an emergency meeting. Bristol-Meyers had a break in last night. Someone stole thousands of dollars of computer equipment."

"Then they just gained access to probably millions of dollars worth of information," I said, remembering the blog I just read.

"Babe?"

"Take a look at this Carlos," I said turning my laptop to me, so I could get to the bookmarked article. I saw that my search was still running and didn't want to tempt fate if I tried to have this old POS multi-task.

"Let's go to your office, I want to show you something on your computer."

Carlos followed me back to his office and I used the same criteria to do a google search, as there was no way I was remembering the url. When I found what I was looking for, I turned his monitor so that he could read the blog I just shared with Hector and Manny.

"Babe, I think this information could help us not only win the security business, but possibly their data security as well. See if you can get either Peter Burg or the Eisenbergs on board before our meeting with Bristol-Meyers on Friday morning. I'd still very much like you to come with me when I meet with them."

"I know much more now than I did last week when I promised to come with you. If we want to show Bristol-Meyers that we are knowledgeable in the data security arena we may have to bring one of the heads, from whichever data security company we partner with, along with us."

"Agreed. So your task is to find the best one," he 200-watted me.

More than 20-minutes had passed since Manny and Hector left to put Hector's list into English so I kissed Carlos goodbye. Yeah, I _really_ kissed Carlos goodbye and stopped by Manny's cube on the way to my office.

No one was there, so I continued to my space and found them. Hector was on my laptop and Manny was sitting in one of the guest chairs.

"Sorry, I just wanted to show Carlos the blog I showed you earlier. I was afraid to ask my laptop to do two things at once, so we went to Carlos' computer. What did you come up with?"

Hector produced a 2-page printout, in English. The headline was "Have a plan of action for when–not if– a data breach occurs." I was impressed already.

He wrote about what I just learned were the obvious way to gather data: weak firewalls, Trojan horses, planted cookies and keyloggers. But his second page interested me more. It was about how to prevent data from being stolen in the first place.

He wrote about full-disk encryption using hardware as well as software. Strong user authentication: who has access to what data and what steps they have to take to prove who they are. And lastly he wrote about back-up solutions and malware infections. I had no idea what _that_ was, but it sounded bad.

"Hector, this is great. If we talk to Peter about his companies approach to these things you've brought up, and he answers, will you be able to understand?"

"Sí, I understand more than I speak."

"Thank you, Hector. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you helping out with this. I'd feel like a floundering idiot if I had to do this alone."

"You be fine Steph. People like you and talk. He'd tell you what you need to know. But thank you. It nice to be able to help Ranger."

"We should probably get ready to leave. Are you going to change and hide your tats?"

"Sí."

"Do you need help with the tats?" I asked, only because he only saw it done once and I play with makeup every day.

"I good."

"Ok, I'll meet you back here at one thirty. Unless you want to grab some lunch together on the way?" I asked, thinking how Lula and I would stop at a McDonalds and talk through our plan for picking up a skip. Although I really didn't want McDonalds…if we were going out, pizza or a salad would be better.

"Pinos?" Hector asked, obviously knowing the local lunchtime hangouts.

"If you want."

"Sí. Pinos pizza good."

"Ok, then meet me back here in 20 minutes."

Hector smiled and took off.

I finished my search on the Eisenbergs. Neither of them graduated from MIT, but they had pretty impressive backgrounds as well and I was still reading the reports when Hector came back. He was wearing his suit and had covered his tats. The suit fit him really well. He looked professional yet slightly sexy. I hoped when I told Carlos we were going out to lunch before our meeting he wouldn't get jealous all over again.

I threw all my crap in my bag and we took the long way, past Carlos' office, to the elevators. Carlos was inside on his computer, so I stuck my head in.

"We're leaving. We're going to Pinos first so we can talk out our plan of action over lunch. Do you want to come with us?" I added so he wouldn't think I wanted to exclude him.

"No Babe, but come here first."

I walked towards his desk and he got up. He pulled me tight to him and kissed me, his hands moving to my ass as he did. I gathered a good part of this show was for Hector's benefit, but I loved kissing Carlos so I didn't really care who saw.

"Good luck. Text me afterwards. Take your Mercedes, it's more impressive than a company car."

"Ok Carlos. I love you."

"Te quiero. I love you too Babe."

I turned around to head out, but Carlos called us back.

"Hector, Babe, I have something for both of you," and he handed each of us a package of black business cards. I knew from seeing Carlos pass his around that they were Rangeman cards. I looked at it closely and saw that mine said, Stephanie Plum, Business Director. I looked over at Hector's and it read, Hector Santiago, Network Security Engineer. They were both pretty good titles, even though I still didn't think I deserved mine.

"Thank you Carlos."

"Stephanie, one more thing. Please wear these earrings," and he handed me a pair of large circular posts with black stones in the center. "This one is a panic button, just press the stone here. The other is a camera which is activated when the panic button is pressed."

"How do I know which is which?" I asked, taking off the earrings I already had on.

"You can tell by the back, the panic button is flatter than the camera and is silver in color," and he turned them both over to show me. "See?"

I noticed the differences when he pointed them out to me. I also noted that when I was nervous I tended to rub my right ear anyway, so that would be the best place for a panic button and proceeded to put it on. I put the camera in the other ear and suddenly felt like I was over-dressed.

"Do I really need these Carlos? We're just going out on a go-see."

"I'm not going to be with you. And even though I know Hector is capable of taking good care of you, I don't want to take any chances. Please humor me, Babe."

When he used the 'please' word there was very little that would make me argue with him, so I nodded my head and kissed him goodbye again.

We took the elevator to the garage and I went over to my car and beeped it open. I could see Hector thinking about something and I got the distinct feeling he was trying to figure out how to ask me if he could drive. All the Rangeman guys are a little macho in that respect. I didn't want to torture him, so I handed him the fob and was rewarded with a 1,000-watt smile.

We drove to Pinos and of course got a table in the rear so that Hector could have his back to the wall to scan for threats. I was more concerned about scanning for Joe, so I was glad to have the mirrored wall behind Hector in my field of vision.

We ordered a pizza to share and I took out our notes again. I had my head deep in them when I heard a familiar voice.

"Cupcake, what are you doing here?"

I saw Hector reach inside his jacket. I presumed he was going for his gun, so I shook my head no before this turned into the gunfight at ok corral.

"Hi Joe," I said and got a quick kiss on the cheek in return. I saw Hector eyeing him suspiciously, so I introduced them. "Joe, this is Hector Santiago, he works for Carlos. Hector, this is Joe Morelli, he's a Trenton police detective and my ex-boyfriend." I don't know why I added that last part. I guessed in case he reported back to Carlos that strange men were kissing me at the restaurant.

"Would you like to join us Joe? We were discussing business, but we can put it aside," I asked, half-hoping he was too busy to sit with us.

"Sure. Let me place an order and I'll be right over. Meatball sub," he added, and winked at me.

"I don't like him," Hector said as soon as Joe was out of earshot.

"Hector, what's the matter? He's ok, I can vouch for him."

"I see he wink at you, he still care."

"It's ok Hector, I'm so over Joe it's not funny. I'm not even sure we'll be able to sit together without him making snide remarks about Carlos though."

"See, I toll, tell you, he still care."

I guessed a gay guy would be able to read another man better than anybody, so I let his comment wash over me. I was so not interested in Joe and his womanizing ways.

Joe came back with his sub just as our pizza arrived and I scooted over to make room for him.

"You look all dressed up, where are you going?" Joe asked after taking a bite of his sandwich.

"We're going out on a business call for Carlos. He's interested in partnering with a data security company and Hector and I are making some personal visits."

"So I guess you're still together?"

"Yes Joe. And Carlos asked me to marry him last night." I managed to get in even though I hadn't planned on telling him anything. "We're going to be together for a very long time."

"I don't know what you see in him," Joe mumbled taking another bite out of his sub.

"I love him Joe. And he loves me. Please, let's not get into this again. Can't we just enjoy lunch like old friends, ok?"

"Sure Cupcake, I'm sorry. When's the wedding? I can see Helen planning it now."

"There's nothing to plan. We'll get married at our house when the time comes. We haven't talked about a date. We just want to be together and my mother doesn't know yet, so please don't say anything."

"Don't you think you should tell her? If she finds out from the gossip mongers she'll be tippling and ironing for the next few weeks."

"We'll tell her soon. We have to tell Carlos' family too," I added so that he'd know that no one knew yet.

Hector and I finished our pizza and I looked at the time on my iPhone. It was one thirty so we still had a half an hour before our meeting but I was feeling uncomfortable with Joe and his line of questioning. Also the smell of his meatball sub was making me nauseous.

"Joe, we have to leave if we want to make our meeting on time. Are you going to stay? I can leave you money for our pizza if you want to sit here?"

"It's ok Cupcake, I need to get back too," he said and began to wrap up the quarter of a sandwich that was left, presumably to eat later.

I got our waitresses attention and gave her the black American Express Corporate Card Carlos had given me the other day. After all, this was a business expense. Joe had already paid for his sub at the counter, so once she showed up again we'd be good to go.

She was back with our check in record time and I told her not to leave. I did the tip thing in my head, added it up and signed the form. We stood to leave and Joe pulled me in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Ill see you soon Stephanie."

"See you Joe."

I watched Joe walk through the doors and get into his beat up surveillance car. Only when I heard it turn over and saw him back out of his spot did I feel comfortable heading out.

"I'm sorry Hector, I didn't expect him to sit down with us. We still have time to talk in the car before our meeting though, if we want to go over this one more time.

"I good, let's go."

DataDependable was located in an office building in Trenton proper. We took streets and parked in an underground garage across from the building. We both got out of the car at the same time and Hector had just fobbed it locked when I heard a whooshing sound and felt something stab me in the neck.

I reached my hand around to feel what hit me and heard another whooshing sound. I turned to see Hector pull a knife out of his pants and throw it into my assailant's throat. That was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for her fabulous edits to this chapter, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters; I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 37 _Hell_

I woke up not knowing where I was. It was dark, I felt cramped and the object I was in was definitely moving. If I had to guess where I was, I would have had to say in the trunk of a car. I had a really bad headache but I was able to think about what I had seen before I blacked out.

There were two men that I knew of. There was the one that blew the dart at me, and I think from the repeated whooshing sound, he blew one at Hector too. He was dark-haired and dark-bearded. I don't think I'd ever seen him before. The other man was sandy-haired and kind of scruffy. It could have been Kraven, but I didn't get a good enough look at him. I just saw him in profile in the dimly lit garage. Then I saw Hector throw his knife at blow dart man and make a direct hit into his throat. I have a feeling blow dart man is going to have trouble talking- that is, if blow dart man even exists anymore.

As I was going over the events that led to me being in this confined space I remembered the earrings. If I activated it now, the camera would just see blackness, but at least the panic button would start sending Rangeman the coordinates of where I was. They'd be able to follow my blip on screen. So I pressed down on the fake stone of my right earring.

I felt bad that we stood up DataDependable. I hoped Carlos or Bobby would call their office and let them know why Hector and I didn't show. And then I thought about Hector. If he was hit, was he knocked out too? Did they take him? Was he with me?

"Hector?" I called, just a little above a whisper. "Hector, are you here?"

I didn't get an answer and the only breathing I heard was my own. I figured I was alone and I was who they were looking for.

Suddenly the car stopped and I was jolted forward and back. Boy was I going to have some bruises from that stop. I thought I'd kick whoever opened the trunk in the face and see if I could get away, but then thought about it. It would probably be better if I just got a picture of my captor so that Rangeman could figure out who it was and get me out of here sooner. I wasn't sure if my camera had sound, but I spoke to it anyway.

"We just stopped. When someone opens the trunk I'm going to look to the right so my left earring records a good picture." Then I added, "I love you Carlos. Don't worry, I'll see you soon."

All of a sudden the trunk opened. I turned to the right and shielded my eyes from the sunlight, hoping the camera was getting a good picture.

"Ms. Stephanie Plum," my assailant said, as I turned to look at him.

It was Kraven. But at least he wasn't swinging a flail at me this time.

"So what do you want with me?" I asked, suddenly feeling brave.

"Didn't you get my note? I was hoping to get you and your fat friend together, but one at a time will give me just as much pleasure."

"Yeah, I got it. I wasn't sure I understood it." I said, thinking if I could engage him in conversation it would give Carlos time to get to me.

"What's not to understand? I'm going to make you wish you never came after me. Even your Rangeman boyfriend won't be able to help you...if he could find you."

He'll find me I thought, that's what he does best. I was still squatting in the trunk and he reached a hand in to help me up. At least that's what I thought until the hand slapped me across my face, hard.

"You little bitch. You think I'd help you up? You and your fat friend thought you could take me in and that would be the end of it? Ha. You don't know who you're dealing with."

Well, he had an ego and he liked to talk. Maybe I could keep him busy until Carlos found me. I didn't think we had driven very far, but I wasn't sure how long I had been out. It couldn't have been much longer than a half an hour based on my previous experience with stun darts.

He reached in and slapped me again, knocking my head against the trunk of the car. I reached back and felt blood. Carlos said he would torture me and mutilate me until I wished I was dead. I really hoped Carlos would get here before that happened.

While I was trying to wish away the bad, he reached into the trunk and pulled me out by my armpits. I banged both shins on the inside lip of the trunk and tore my skirt on the lock mechanism as he yanked me out. The tears started to well up in my eyes as he threw me down roughly, and slapped me again.

"Bitch! Think crying will help? I'll give you something to cry about," and he pulled my arm behind my back and up towards my head until it really hurt as he pushed me towards the now open back door.

Once my eyes adjusted to the low-level of lighting in the basement we were in, I could see some of the things he was famous for. I recognized some of the devices from pictures. In front of me was an oblong wooden rack. It had a roller with a ratchet and handle attached to it at one end and a fixed bar with manacles on the other.

I don't know why my eyes were fixated on this devise when there were other things and strange masks in the room, but I was sure he was taking me to the rack.

He didn't. Instead we walked over to this pointed pyramid atop a wooden vaulted base. It had a round metal belt with massive locks above it and four, no five, hooks attached to the wall with chains hanging from them on either side of the belt. It looked like the belt could be hoisted above the pointy rack thing and I wasn't too sure what it was used for.

"Do you know what this is Stephanie?" He asked me, using my name and making me cringe with the way he said it.

I shook my head no.

"It's called Judas' Cradle. I could tell you what it does, but I'd rather show you. I hang you by your waist with your arms and feet bound, and I lower you, or rather bounce you, over that pyramid point," he said, and started laughing.

"When I'm done with you, your Rangeman boyfriend won't want to put his dick anywhere near your pussy."

He then walked a few feet away, picked up a heavy metal ball and threw it at me. It hit me in my lower abdomen and I fell over backwards from the force of it. I was lying on the ground with the wind knocked out of me when I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. Suddenly I had another excruciating pain in my pelvis. It felt like my insides wanted to come out. I moaned and I could feel something leaking out of me. It felt like the worst period I'd ever had. I looked down and saw that blood was gushing from between my legs.

Kraven saw the blood pooling around me. He picked up something that looked like a club and came at me. I thought it was over. I thought he was going to bash my head in when the door burst open and Cal and Vince came running through.

I heard Cal yell, "she's here," and then more activity. Someone grabbed Kraven and someone else jumped the other lunatic that was in the room.

Carlos walked towards me and hesitated slightly when he saw the blood. He tried for his blank face, but wasn't very successful. I could see how concerned he was—as was I. He bent down, took my hand and kissed my forehead. "Babe please don't move until we know how bad this is. Dios!"

Carlos got up and went over to Kraven. I heard his voice change when he addressed him. "What did you do to her?"

Kraven laughed that barbaric laugh of his and Carlos punched him in the face.

"What the hell did you do to Stephanie? I'll kill you!"

"Carlos, no!" I said. "He threw this," and I pointed to the heavy metal ball on the floor. "He threw it…at me."

I couldn't say anything else because another stab of excruciating pain hit me and I felt more blood ooze from my body.

"Carlos! Is Bobby here?" I asked before I blacked out.

I woke up in the back of a Rangeman SUV. Carlos was holding my hand and stroking my hair and Bobby had started an IV.

"Babe, we're taking you to the St. Francis ER. Bobby thinks you may have miscarried. They'll take you right in—they know we're coming."

"Miscarried? I…I wasn't…I wasn't pregnant."

"Bobby thinks you may have been. He took some samples from the blood you lost. I suppose they'll do a pathology test on them. Dios, Babe…I'm so sorry."

I suddenly felt another excruciating stab of pain and held my abdomen. I felt more blood gush from between my legs and it took all of my concentration to keep from passing out again.

I concentrated on taking deep breaths and when the wave finally passed, I looked up at Carlos. "Is Hector ok?"

"He's fine. Kraven's thug hit the both of you with blow darts. Hector managed to kill him and call us before his dart immobilized him. We called the police to make sure Hector wasn't wrongly accused. He's at TPD now with Santos. They're taking his statement."

I was glad Hector was ok and wasn't taken for a ride like I was. "Did anyone call Peter Burg? I would hate for him to think Rangeman stood him up."

"Yes, we called. Hector says he and Manny can meet with him and the Eisenberg's tomorrow so we can have someone on board for Friday."

"I'm going to be there too. This was _my_ job," I said emphatically when I heard they weren't including me.

"Babe. We didn't know what to expect. We still don't know."

"Did the camera catch everything? Will we have enough evidence to put him away for a long time?"

"Yes, we have enough evidence. But are you sure you want him in the judicial system? He can get out on probation. He could get an early release. Remember what happened with Ramirez?"

"Carlos, I don't want you or Rangeman to get into any trouble for doing something illegal."

"Neither I nor Rangeman would have to touch him. But we can give out information which might lead to someone else ending a dispute with him."

"Do what you think is best. I don't want to know." Then I thought about it. If we played by the judicial system, I'd have to testify. I knew what high-powered lawyers could do. My life would be an open book. And all of a sudden I felt sick to my stomach.

"Carlos, I don't want to have to go on the witness stand."

Carlos pulled me tighter to his chest as he stroked my abdomen. "Babe."

When we got to the ER they did in fact take me right in. Thankfully, I had signed some papers at Rangeman the first time I worked there that made Bobby my medical power of attorney and he was able to come into the ER with me and Carlos.

There was an ob/gyn specialist in the ER that had been brought in by Rangeman for me. She did an internal exam while Carlos and Bobby waited outside and confirmed that I had miscarried. She said the miscarriage was complete and that I didn't need surgery or any other medical intervention for it, but told me that I may have side effects for a week or so. She didn't like the look of the bump on my head and had us wait for a different doctor to come in to take a look at it.

She brought a padded icepack for me while we waited. My head didn't really hurt, but my shins were killing me. I asked if I could get two more icepacks; one for each, as I now had a good-sized goose-egg on both of them.

This was all in a day's work if I thought back to my early days as a BEA but I hadn't been through this in a while and I'd never miscarried before. As I was musing to myself about my day the gyno, Dr. Wild, came back into the room with two more icepacks for me. After she put them on my shins she spoke to Carlos, Bobby and me.

"Just because you had a miscarriage doesn't mean you can't have children. I'd give your body about four weeks to heal and then you can try again."

"Actually Dr. Wild, we weren't trying." I said. "I've been on the pill for the last few years, and it's been ok for me. I think I may have forgotten to take one, maybe two, this month though. We're not ready to have children. Carlos just asked me to marry him." And I took Carlos' hand and kissed it. "A child is a big step."

"That's a very adult decision. Have you thought about birth control shots? They're very effective and you don't have to worry about remembering to take a pill."

"Carlos and I were talking about that recently. Bobby can give me the shots, can't he?"

"Yes. What we usually do is give you a pregnancy test to assure you're not pregnant before we start them. Obviously you are not now, so if you want, I can administer the first shot and Bobby can take it from there."

"What if we want to have a baby in the future?" I asked, just to be sure this would be reversible.

"It can take up to three months after you stop for you to be able to conceive. So knowing that, just plan accordingly. Who is your current gynecologist?"

"It's Dr. Simonson, but I've never really felt comfortable with him. He was just someone we all went to. He was prescribing birth control pills for all my friends when we were in high school. And he never asked for our parents' permission, so we thought he was cool. Do you see patients privately?" I asked, hoping she did because I really liked her.

"Yes I do, here's my card," she said, taking one out of the breast pocket of her smock and handing it to me. "But I could set up a shot for you today while you're here, if you'd like?"

I looked over at Carlos and then to Bobby. I had never asked Bobby if he'd give me the shots, we just assumed he would. "Carlos, what do you think? And Bobby, would you be able to do them for me?"

"Babe, I'll go along with whatever you want, but I think it's a good idea."

Bobby chimed in. "I don't have a lot of experience with this as Ella is the only woman at Rangeman right now, and she's going through menopause. But I hear the shot is good and of course, I'd give it to you. We could schedule a standing appointment."

I turned to Dr. Wild, "Ok, let's do it."

She left us to prepare the shot and Bobby followed her out for serum and instructions on giving me subsequent ones. I looked over at Carlos and I burst into tears. "Carlos we made a baby and I lost it," I said, the reality of the situation just hitting me.

"Shhh Babe, it's ok. I don't blame you." Carlos said, wrapping me in his arms and wiping my tears away with his fingers. "I'd never blame you. Seeing you with all that blood around you really scared me. Dios, I thought I lost _you _today. I was going to kill him. I'm glad you spoke—I was seconds away from sending him to hell.

We were still in the same position with Carlos soothing me when Bobby and Dr. Wild came back in. She'd given Bobby a kit of some sort and had the shot prepared. I really hated needles and this looked like a big one. I guess she saw me look at it and wiggle closer to Carlos.

"Don't worry Stephanie, it's a very fine needle. It won't hurt at all. But I have to give it to you in your buttocks. Do you want Carlos and Bobby to leave?"

I thought about it for a nano-second. If Bobby was going to be giving me my shots he'd see my ass anyway, and I wasn't letting Carlos out of my sight.

"No, they can stay," I turned around and lifted my skirt. The hospital had given me a huge maxi-pad to wear in case there was any further bleeding and I was embarrassed for about two seconds that they would see this, but I got over it. She rubbed the area with alcohol and gave me the shot. She was right; it didn't hurt at all. She rubbed the area for a few seconds and asked me how I felt.

"I'm good. It didn't hurt. You were great. But I do have a couple of questions. You said the miscarriage was complete?"

"Yes, there is no more embryotic tissue in you. It was a complete miscarriage."

"Uh, how long do we have to wait before we can have sex?" I asked. Carlos and I had sex a lot and I wanted to know how long we'd have to wait before we could be together.

"The rule of thumb is the further along you were, the longer you'd have to wait. There is always the risk of getting an infection because the cervix is open. You were not very far along at all, I'd say two weeks, so I would give yourself at least a week before putting anything, even a finger or a tampon into your vagina."

I nodded that I understood, and then I smiled. Carlos and I would have to get very creative for the next week.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for her insight and ideas on how to make this chapter stronger. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters; I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 38 _Coming Back_

The neurologist finally showed up to check out the bump on the back of my head. It had also turned into a pretty good-sized goose egg. Great, I had three of them now. It hurt when he touched it and I winced.

"That's a pretty bad bruise. I want to do a couple of tests to see if you have a concussion."

I nodded ok, and he took out his flashlight and looked into my eyes. I guessed he didn't like what he saw because he repeated the test. He turned and spoke to Carlos and Bobby.

"I'm pretty sure she has a mild concussion, I don't want you to let her sleep for more than two hours at a time tonight. And I'd like to see her in my office on Friday."

I hate when people talk about me as if I'm not there. "I know the drill doctor," I said, so he'd know to speak to me in the future, "I've had a number of concussions in the past."

I turned to Carlos, "I can set the alarm; you don't need to get up with me."

"Babe," he said with a tone that meant, 'that's not going to happen.'

The doctor turned to Carlos. "Are you her boyfriend?"

"Fiancé," Carlos answered.

"I want you to wake her every two hours tonight. You do know the AVPU code, don't you?"

Carlos shook his head, looked to Bobby and then to me to see if it was something I had done before. I also shook my head no and the doctor explained.

"It's a patient assessment process. 'A', is the victim _alert_? 'V', do they respond to _voice_? 'P', do they respond to _pain_? Pinch her to check. And 'U', is _unresponsive_ to anything attempted. Every time you wake her up, talk to her. See if she's alert. If she doesn't respond to your voice, pinch her and if she's unresponsive to all three measures, call me immediately," and he handed Carlos his card. "I would also keep an icepack on that bump."

Carlos assured the doctor he would assess me every time he woke me, and they agreed to release me to him. Because Bobby was the medic at Rangeman and he assured the doctor that he would look in on me daily, I was able to get out of that Friday appointment too.

We were in the Rangeman car, heading back to Haywood and I had a little time to think about things before I spoke again. "Is Hector in his apartment? I'd like to see him. Can we call him when we get home?"

Carlos picked up his phone and texted Hector or Les or someone. After a few back and forth keystrokes he turned to me, "Hector and Santos got back from TPD about a half an hour ago. Hector said he was going to his apartment and Ella offered to make him dinner. If you want, we can all have dinner together on seven. We just need to set a time."

"What time is it now Carlos?" I asked, all confused by the events of the day.

"It's 6:30 Babe, shall we say 7:00?"

I nodded my head and Carlos continued with his text. "He's going to come up and Ella said she'd set the table for three and have food in the warming oven."

"Thank her for me Carlos, please?"

I saw him text another quick text, then he shut his phone just as Bobby parked the Explorer in one of Carlos' spots so I wouldn't have to walk very far. We said goodbye to Bobby when the elevator stopped on five. I gave him a kiss and a hug for staying with me today and then the elevator shut again and we went up to seven.

Carlos fobbed us in and set me up on the couch after I changed out of my ripped, bloodstained clothes. He went to get ice for my head and came back with a package of frozen peas. "I understand these are better than ice because they mold to the area so I had Ella stock the freezer just in case we needed them." I guessed he had taken my past calamities into consideration when I moved in and had Ella shop accordingly.

He gently pulled me into his lap and he kissed the top of my head. "Babe, you have no idea how frightened I was today when I saw you in all that blood. I thought Kraven had used one of his toys on you. And I really would have killed him if he hurt you."

"Carlos, he killed our baby," I said and I burst into tears again.

"Dios, Babe. I am so sorry."

I wasn't sure if it was my high level of hormones or the concussion that had me so emotional. I'm not usually a crier. Carlos wiped the tears from my eyes and spoke softly to me. "Babe, are you going to be ok? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

I nodded my head no. "I'll be ok Carlos; I just seem to be really teary right now. I'm sorry."

Carlos was holding me and cooing to me in Spanish when our doorbell rang. Since I was on Carlos' lap, I got up first to go to the door. I felt slightly light-headed as I stood, no doubt from the blood loss from the miscarriage. Carlos held his hand on my hip while I acclimated myself. "Are you ok Babe?"

"Yea, just a little dizzy. I'll be fine." I walked to the foyer and started to open the door. I knew it was Hector, but I peeped through the peephole first just to be sure.

I let him in and gave him a big hug. He had almost as traumatic a day as I had, and I wanted him to know I appreciated everything he did.

"Thank you Hector."

"De Nada. Are you ok?"

I nodded yes; then I shook my head no and burst into tears again. God, what was wrong with me today?

"I'm sorry Hector, it's been kind of an emotional day."

"Did he hurt you? I kill him myself."

I shook my head no again. "Just bangs and bruises, but he threw a heavy metal ball at me and he caused me to miscarry," I told Hector. Since we were friends, as well as business partners now, he should hear this from me as the news would be all over Rangeman soon enough."

"Miscarry? You two pregnant?" He asked making me realize he understood a lot more than we all gave him credit for.

"We were, but we didn't know it. We're not any more."

"I sorry Steph," he said, giving me another hug.

"Come on in Hector," I said, realizing we were still in the foyer.

"Does Ella know?" he asked, as we walked towards Carlos who had just come out of the living room to greet Hector.

"No. At least I don't think so," and I looked over to Carlos for confirmation. Carlos shook his head no, then asked Hector why.

"In my country there is herb cataplasma. Ranger, how I say cataplasma o emplasto en Inglés?"

"Poultice" Carlos answered, suddenly interested in what Hector was trying to say.

"We use Abuta herb _poultice_ and tea for miscarry. Can we call Ella?"

Carlos was already on the intercom as Hector was telling us about the herbal remedy. He called Hector over and the three of them had a conversation in Spanish.

Carlos turned to me. "Ella is coming up with dinner, but she's also going to call her sister in Newark to see if she can get some Abuta for you Steph. Hector was right; it's a common South American herbal treatment for miscarriages and post-natal pain. It supposedly has a calming effect on the central nervous system too. It can't hurt to try some. Ella said it's called the Midwives Herb. If her sister can tell her where to get it I can send one of my men to Newark."

I'd try anything to stop these bouts of tears. As I was deciding if herbs were the way to go, I was hit be another intense cramp in my abdomen. God, it felt like my body was pulling in on me. I had to sit down and as I made my way to one of the dining room chairs that was nearby, I felt another gush of blood pour out of me. Thank God I was wearing the hospital's extra-large, extra-wide, extra-absorbent pads. I felt a little faint and the six inches that the chair was still away from me was too far and I collapsed onto the floor.

Carlos was at my side in a second.

"Babe? Are you ok?" he asked sounding more concerned then I'd ever heard him

I shook my head no, then shook it yes. "I'm sorry. I had a really bad cramp and I just felt more stuff come out of me. Didn't the doctor say my miscarriage was complete?"

"I have her number, should I call her? Do you want me to take you to the ER?"

I shook my head no to both suggestions and took some deep breaths. "I think I'll be ok, the cramps seem to be diminishing."

Hector came over and took my other hand. "Stephanie, my sister miscarry two times. I there for both, it was same with her. I think can last for almost week. Please try Abuta. You feel better."

Carlos' intercom buzzed. I assumed it was Ella as they had just hung up. Carlos answered and put her on speaker.

"My sister has some in capsule form. She gives it to my niece for menstrual cramps. She says the herbal apothecary is closed now, but if we want she'll give us the capsules."

Carlos looked over at me to see what I wanted to do. If this was a tried and true South American remedy, I was willing to try it. I nodded yes and Carlos asked for her sister's address. He hung up with Ella and called down to five. He asked whoever answered if there was someone who could to go to Newark and pick up something for me.

As they were squaring away the address our doorbell buzzed again. I was feeling strong enough now to navigate the space and made my way to the door, knowing it was Ella with our dinner. She wheeled the cart in and I closed the door. She came over to me and gave me a hug.

"Dear, I am so sorry about the baby," and I burst into tears again at the word baby.

This Abuta stuff had better work because once word got around Rangeman the guys would all be sending their condolences and I didn't want to burst into tears any time someone mentioned the baby. In fact, my sister called little Alexa 'the baby'. That's all I would need is for her to say 'the baby' and for me burst into tears. Not only would my miscarriage be all over Rangeman, it would be all over the 'Burg.

I wasn't feeling particularly hungry until I took the cover off the casserole dish to bring it to the table. Ella had made a spicy chicken and vegetable stew that looked and smelled fabulous. Breathing in the exotic, almost cinnamony aroma I couldn't hold back a moan.

Everyone turned and looked at me. Hey, at least I wasn't crying.

"Guys, I don't know about you, but I'm starving," I said to no one in particular.

Ella said goodbye to us, hugged me almost motherly again and rolled her cart back out the door. Carlos went to get a bottle of wine and Hector and I sat down at the table.

"I'm coming with you to the two go-sees tomorrow," I said, before either he or Carlos could come up with a reason why I shouldn't.

"You ok for that?" Hector asked.

"I need to follow through on these. I found the companies and we did so much work. I can't let Manny get the glory."

"Stephanie, everyone know you do this. If you no feel good, it's ok. We be fine. Manny just translate in case I get mix up. I ask same questions you and I talk about. But I no hold you back if you feel good and want to come."

"I'll be ok. The Eisenberg's are at ten. What time did you re-schedule Peter Burg for?"

"He at one. We can go to lunch in-between and go over things. You sure you ok?" he asked again, just as Carlos joined us with the open bottle of wine.

Carlos heard that last part of our conversation and I saw him eyeing me quizzically to see what I was going to say.

"Here's the deal," I said; ready to spill it all out. "If I wake up and I feel ok, I'm going. But if I don't, I'll call you on the intercom right away so that you can let Manny know to get ready." I thought that was pretty fair and I was giving myself an out if I really needed it.

The guys agreed with me and I felt like I won the battle. There was no one putting their foot down and no further arguments.

I was afraid to have more than a glass of wine because of my concussion, so I sipped it slowly during dinner and felt myself getting really sleepy and starting to lose track of the conversation.

Carlos looked over at me and noticed me struggling to stay awake. "Babe, do you want to lay down on the couch? I'll put on some coffee and we'll join you in a bit. I saw that Ella made you tiramisu. I'll can cut you a piece and bring it in?"

I nodded at the tiramisu and got all happy thinking about it. "Thank you Carlos. I guess I'm more tired than I thought I was. If I close my eyes for five minutes, I should be ok."

That was the last thing I remember saying, until Carlos woke me. I looked at the clock and saw it was 2 am. I was in our bed and dressed in my pjs. "Carlos, you were supposed to wake me every two hours," I said startled.

"Babe, I have been. We spoke a few words so that I knew you were ok and then I let you go back to sleep. You even took two of the Abuta caps that Lester brought up for you. Don't you remember?"

I nodded my head no, suddenly feeling like an Alzheimer patient. "It's ok Babe, don't worry. You need your sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

And amazingly, I did. I woke up on my own at a quarter to six and felt fabulous. Carlos was up; I could hear him moving around, so I got up to find him.

He was in his office on his computer and looked up when he heard me tentatively knock. "Babe," he said smiling. He got up and came over to me. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed me on top of my head and just held me. It always feels so good to be in his arms, but this felt especially tender and loving.

"Thank you Carlos," I said. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. Hungry," I said and smiled. "I never got my tiramisu last night."

"I'd say have it for breakfast, but I don't want to encourage you," he grinned and held me tighter. "Dios, I'm so glad you're back."

I showered, shaved and buffed as best I could. I looked down at my shins and realized a skirt was out of the question today, as much as I really wanted to wear one and look uber-professional. I opted for black dress slacks with heels and a really cool blue print top I found in the closet. Ella must have been shopping again.

Ella had brought up Carlos' usual breakfast, but since I was going on a call in a couple of hours, I thought better of having smoked salmon. I toasted my bagel and had it with butter instead, taking another two Abuta capsules with coffee.

I called Hector to let him know I was going to be his partner for the day. I added another coat of mascara, kissed Carlos goodbye (God did I kiss Carlos goodbye) and went downstairs to see what I missed.

Bobby and Lester were in Bobby's office when I walked by. Bobby spotted me and called me in. "Steph how are you feeling?" Bobby asked, ever the medic.

"I'm good. I feel so much better than I did last night. And Les, thank you for going to Newark for me."

"You're welcome Beautiful. Hey, I guess those things work. From what Ranger told me last night, you were in a pretty bad mental state."

"Yeah, let's just say I wasn't myself. I have a lot to do today, so I want to check my work email and get started. I'll catch up with you guys later," I said, turning around, finger-waving the guys and making my way to my office next door.

I had just sat down and turned on my computer when my cell phone rang. I saw by the display that it was Lula and answered with the Rangeman "Yo" that seemed to be catching.

"Girlfriend, Tank just told me. I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok Lula. At least I'm not bursting into tears today. They got Kraven yesterday so it looks like it will be safe for us to go out again. Let's have lunch tomorrow."

"White girl you seem to be forgetting something. Pearce is still on the loose and I'm sure he's angrier than ever now that all his allies have been taken down."

Donny Pearce was the ex-Trenton Rangeman employee who was fired for his anger issues and the friction he caused between Rangeman and TPD with his over-the-top take down tactics. And Pearce was one of the guys that abducted Manny. Kraven had posted his bond and gotten him out. Everyone else was dead or in some kind of custody; Pearce was still on the street. And clearly he wasn't afraid to show off his muscle.

"Shit, I forgot about him."

"Girlfriend, he's not someone to forget about. Remember what he did to Manny? He be trying similar shit on us, if he finds us. You and Hector need to keep your eyes open today."

I heard her, and I heard her loud and clear. After we hung up I went next door to Bobby, as I wasn't sure where Carlos was. "Bobby can you set me up with the earrings again before Hector and I go out? Lula just reminded me that Pearce is still out there."

"Of course Steph. Ranger should have them in his office. He had us check them out last night to make sure they still worked. They were good, so I gave them back to him."

I guess I missed a lot last night. Seems that both Les and Bobby had been in touch with Carlos while I was sleeping.

I texted Carlos to find out where he was and mentioned the earrings so neither of us would forget. Of course Carlos _never_ forgets, but I could.

He was still upstairs making some phone calls, but he said he'd be down before Hector and I had to leave and that he'd find me. I wondered who he was calling? He usually made his business calls from his office on five.

While I was musing about who he might be talking to, Hector knocked on my door. Hector was dressed in his suit again and had covered his gang tats just like yesterday. He was wearing the same suit, but I noticed that he had on a different shirt and tie. I was glad he had some wardrobe options.

"Steph, how are you doing?" he asked. "Did Abuta do anything?"

"I'm a new person. Thanks for recommending that stuff."

"De nada. I sign up for English class this morning," he announced, sounding really proud. "It Tuesday and Thursday night and it start Tuesday."

"That's great Hector. Does Carlos know? Rangeman should pay for your classes."

"Sí, I toll…told…him last night when you sleep."

God, what else was going on while I was sleeping? But this was good news. I felt that the only thing keeping Hector back was his English. Maybe the guys would see in him what I did and add him to the core team once he became fluent. He'd be a great asset.

"Hector, I need to find Carlos before we leave. I want to wear the earrings again," And he smiled at me. "You put yours on, I take mine off," he said and pointed to his naked ears.

I texted Carlos again as we needed to leave in order to get to the Eisenberg's by ten and instead of hearing the buzz of a return text, I heard Carlos' voice in my doorway.

"Babe."

I looked up and couldn't help but smile. Carlos was dressed in a suit and had softly spiked his hair. Handsome GQ man was back. He handed me the earrings and helped me put them on. While he fastened the last one I asked him where he was going, as he usually didn't wear a suit to work.

"I'm meeting with Campbell's Soup. They called yesterday after they heard about the Bristol-Meyers break in. They are using the same security service that Bristol-Meyers used and don't want to take any chances. This is a great opportunity for Rangeman."

"Carlos why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't worry Babe, this is just an initial meeting. I want you to come with me to all subsequent meetings with them."

That wasn't what I meant, but it was good to know I was on his radar like that.

"Well good luck today."

"You too, Babe," he said as he pulled me in and tipped my head up for a kiss. Oh God, it was a really great kiss. If they offered kissing as an Olympic event, Carlos could win gold hands down.

We broke apart, but obviously it hadn't been enough for him, so he pulled me back in for another. "Babe, let's go shopping this afternoon. I found a custom jewelry store in Haddon Heights. I think you'll like their mounting rings. And if we don't see something we like, we can have one designed. They hand-select their own diamonds from Antwerp, Belgium."

"Carlos, are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Babe," he replied and lovingly swatted me on the ass. "I'll pick you up at 3. I made a 4:00 reservation for us."

I kissed Carlos goodbye again and Hector and I took off to meet with the Eisenbergs.

"He love you Stephanie." Hector said when we were in the Mercedes and he had once again commandeered the keys from me. "He very worried about you last night. I never see him worry before."

"I guess I was in bad shape yesterday. I'm sorry that I upset all of you. I really am ok today." And I wanted that to end the conversation about me, so I turned on the radio.

Someone, well it was probably me, had the radio set to Sirius XM Hits1 and Pitbull's 'Back in Time' had just come on. While I was grooving on 'It's Mr. Worldwide, Agent A, reporting live,' Hector spoke.

"We get security contract for him for Atlantic City concert."

"Really?"

"Sí, we find out yesterday. He Cuban, so I think Ranger being Cuban seal the deal," he said, sharing his thinking. "We also Miami security. You like him?"

"Yeah I do. Can we get passes?"

"Sí, I going. Santos and Tank say they going too. You and Ranger should come. I ask the tailor."

"Have you two gone out yet?"

"Sí, we go to club in New York. It was good. We like each other."

"What's his name?" I asked, having to know the details.

"Miguel. Miguel Santos. No relations to Lester."

I was glad Hector's date worked out and they were going out again. He deserved some fun too. I was just musing to myself about Hector and Miguel when Hector stopped the car. PrimoData also had their office in Trenton proper and we had a choice of street or underground parking. I guess Hector stopped so I could decide and possibly avoid another garage encounter.

"It's ok Hector, we can park in the garage. I'm on high alert."

He made a turn into the garage and parked. I think we both were a little apprehensive about getting out of the car, but we undid our seat belts, opened our doors and got out. Hector fobbed the car locked and we walked out of the garage together without incidence. I could see Hector scanning for bad guys as we approached PrimoData's entrance, but so far, so good.

Shirley was manning the desk and when she saw me she got up from her post and came around to give me a hug and an air kiss. "Lenny is here, but Gary is running late," she whined. "Do you want to wait or shall I bring you in to see Lenny?"

We were good on time as our meeting with Peter wasn't until one and I really wanted to meet both of them and see first-hand the dynamic between them.

"We can wait Shirley," I said then introduced her to Hector. "Shirley, this is Hector Santiago, he works for Carlos and we kind of partnered ourselves together on the Data Security business. Hector this is my cousin Shirley Gazzara. I think you know her husband Eddie, from TPD?"

"Sí, nice to meet you Shirley," Hector said in his best English with his hand offered for a shake.

We sat down to wait and I checked my iPhone for email and voice messages. Nothing to speak of, but I did get a text from Carlos. "Break a leg :) C-"

I quickly texted him back, "U 2", and felt better from the contact. Not that I was feeling bad, in fact I felt prepared and confident.

While I was putting my phone back into my bag a tall, dark-haired man came through the front door and said hello to Shirley. I assumed it was Gary Eisenberg as he walked straight back, past her guard post.

Once he was out of hearing distance Shirley pssssed me and whispered, "That was Gary, give him a few minutes to get settled and I'll being you into the conference room."

I heard her phone line buzz and she picked it up and spoke to us in her annoying nasal tone. "They're ready for you."

We gathered our stuff and followed her back. The offices were nice, but I didn't see too many people milling around. I wondered if they were doing as well financially as my search had indicated. I mean shouldn't you hear a little chit chat when you walked the halls? Even Rangeman buzzed, except when Carlos was on deck, and even that seemed to have changed lately.

Shirley left us in a small conference room and as the Eisenberg's hadn't arrived yet, I texted Hector my thoughts. I saw him reach into his pocket to look at the offending buzz. He grinned and texted back to me, "I think same."

Our meeting went well. I asked all the questions we prepared and they answered everything satisfactorily. I was ready to pack it in, when Hector asked, "How many employees do you have?"

I watched the Eisenbergs squirm in their seats and Lenny answered. "Right now we have five, plus our receptionist. We just let fifteen people go as we weren't making our projections."

"And why is that?" I asked. "Data security is a very profitable commodity. You should have clients begging you to take them on?"

"We signed some bad paper when we first started the business," Gary told us. "We needed collateral and we didn't qualify for a bank loan."

Mob backing I thought, but didn't say anything and let him continue.

"We've been trying to buy ourselves back, but between the rent here and the high interest we pay on our 'loan', it's been tough to save the kind of money we need to do that."

Bingo. These guys want to sell. I still wanted to meet with Peter Burg, but this was good to know. Hector seemed to be thinking faster than I was today as he chimed in with another question. "The men you have on staff, they good? Or you and Gary do all coding yourselves?"

"We're both capable of writing code, but we have a genius on staff, Bruno Lucas."

"Can we meet him? I want to ask some questions," Hector pushed.

I knew Hector was as good as anyone when it came to code and gaining access to supposedly secure servers, so I was glad he asked, although this was a little off the cuff.

"Sure. I don't know if he's in yet though, he keeps his own hours and he was here late last night. I'll have Shirley page him," and he picked up the phone that was on the conference room table and spoke softly to my cousin.

Gary turned back to us, "He just walked through the door. Shirley's going to send him in. One thing you need to know, he is from Brazil and his English isn't the best." He looked over at Hector, "How's your Portuguese?"

"Bueno. My country right next to Brazil. We speak Portuguese as well as Spanish."

I didn't know that, but I should have guessed. Most of the men Carlos hires are multi-lingual.

Bruno walked into the room and he smiled when he saw Hector. My antennea went up. Either they knew each other, they were both gay and gay people can always spot one another, or it was just because they were the only mocha latte skinned people in the room.

Gary introduced us to Bruno and he smiled again and addressed Hector in what I assumed was Portuguese. Bruno looked over to me, Gary and Lenny and spoke in the same broken English that Hector speaks. "I sorry. My English not good. I understand you have question for me. It easier if I speak Portugese. Mr. Santiago say he speak. Ok we talk?"

We all nodded yes and the two of them broke into rapid-fire Portuguese, which to my untrained ears sounded a lot like rapid-fire Spanish. They were nodding and smiling at one another and I could tell the conversation was going well. They stopped and shook hands.

Hector turned to us, "We on same page. Bruno approach code same way I do. He very smart. I like his ideas."

We thanked everyone for their time and told them we'd be speaking with them soon and Hector and I left to talk over lunch. As we walked out of the building I could see Hector scanning for bad guys again and only when he didn't see any was it ok for me to venture into the street. Of course this was all non-verbal, but I knew the drill.

The parking lot was empty, but again Hector did the 360º scan before he fobbed the car open. Once we were locked in and buckled up, he turned to me and spoke.

"As soon as I hear Bruno name, I know he from Brazil and I wanted to talk in person. We in Sudamérica have different way seeing code than you. That why we make good hacker. Brazil, Agentina and my country Bolivia known for technology. I happy with him."

"And I thought there was a lot of potential for buying the company. They seem like they are in over their heads, but we do have to talk to Peter Burg first before we make any decisions."

"Sí."


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 39 _Stephanie's ring_

Hector and I were deciding on where would be a good place to go for lunch and once again we came up with Pino's. Pino's is a big cop hangout and someone from the force was bound to be there. I really hoped it wouldn't be Joe but it _would_ be interesting to get Eddie Gazzara's take on the place where his wife was working.

We drove into Pino's and I saw a couple of cruisers and Joe's POS undercover car in the parking lot. I was about to suggest that we should find some place else for lunch when Hector pointed to Joe's car. "He here, want to leave?"

I was ready to say yes, but instead I pulled up my big girl panties and nodded no. "I saw his car too. I think I'm good. I can't avoid him for the rest of my life, but can I hide behind you if I have to?"

"Sí, Estefania."

"What did you call me Hector?"

"Estefania. Spanish for Stephanie. I call you that before, I tink. My sister Estefania too."

"The one that had the miscariages?" I asked hoping our similar names weren't somehow responsible for our fates.

"No, that my older sister Alvia. Estefania younger, youngest," Hector answered smiling, happy with his choice of a comparative ending to the word 'young'.

He opened the door for me and we stepped inside to the air conditioning. Although it was still April it was almost 90º out and the air conditioning felt welcoming.

While we waited for a waitress to come over to seat us, Hector spoke to me. "Is ok I call you Estefania?"

"Of course Hector, it seems like everyone has a nickname for me. I like it that you guys think I'm worthy of pet names."

"The name mean 'Crown" and fit for you with your hair."

"Thanks Hector," I said and smacked him on the arm.

The waitress came over with menus and led us to the very back, getting to know Rangeman's preferences for seating. Hector had his hand on the small of my back as he pulled up the rear and it felt very comforting.

Joe, Big Dog, Eddie and Carl Costanza were sitting together at a table and as we passed all four of them called out to me. I told Hector I'd be right back and let our waitress lead him to our table while I doubled-back to say hi.

"Hi Carl, Eddie...Big Dog, hey Joe," I said making sure to include all four of them by name so no one would feel left out. "How are you guys doing?"

Joe answered for all of them. "We're good. We never have a chance to go out to lunch so after Arnie Rupp's speech this morning we decided to mix some business with pleasure."

"Is he still head of the violent crimes squad?" I asked, more as a conversation starter than because I really wanted to know. I mean after all, Joe and I were on and off for close to three years, how could I not know who was heading up what division within TPD?

"Yep, and he's still a pain in the ass," Eddie answered. "What are you and Hector doing in Pino's again? I heard you two were in yesterday."

"We're working together on a Rangeman project, in fact we just came from seeing Shirley. Eddie what do you know about the place where she's working?" I asked and called Hector over so he could hear Eddie's answer first-hand.

Hector came over and put his hand back on the small of my back, an action that didn't get past Joe. "Cupcake, does Manoso know you two are so tight?" he asked in that tight-jawed, disapproving way of his, breaking in before Eddie had a chance to answer my question.

"Carlos trusts me completely. If you must know, Hector is feeling protective towards me right now because I have some crazies after me and we had a close encounter yesterday," I said, knowing that Lester and Hector's visit to TPD most likely didn't go unnoticed.

"I heard," Joe said, then turned to Hector. "Good knife skills."

"De nada. Turn out ok, but Steph spend afternoon in ER. She concussion and badly bruise. Kraven get away," he said, letting me hear the street version of what really happened.

"Joe," I said wanting to end this before I got myself into any more hot water, "as much as we'd like to talk, Hector and I have another meeting at one and we want to get some lunch and prepare for it. Eddie, is it ok if I call you later? I'd like to get your take on PrimoData?"

"Sure Steph," Eddie said. Then I kissed and hugged the four guys who I used to be very close with goodbye, and Hector and I went back to our table aginst the wall.

"Thank you Hector," I said, once we sat down. "I didn't know what the official word was on what happened yesterday, thanks for filling me in."

"De nada. Steph, no one know about miscarry," he whispered. "No one can get records. Rangeman make sure ER files seal."

This made me feel much better, at least the news wouldn't be all over the 'Burg. But I wondered why Carlos didn't tell me. Then I remembered I wasn't in the best of places last night, and we hardly had a chance to talk this morning. Suddenly I missed him terribly.

I pulled my phone out of my bag and dashed off a quick "#1 went well. I 3 U" text to Carlos.

I was smiling to myself and about to put my phone back into my bag, when it buzzed that I had an incoming text. It was Carlos' repsonse. "Where R U? I 3 U 2"

Instead of spelling out everything, I hit the phone key on my iPhone and called him back. I heard the "Babe?" answer after one ring.

"Carlos, we're in Pino's getting ready to order lunch. Where are you? How did your meeting go?"

"It went well, we just got out. Order for us, Tank and I can be there in ten minutes."

"What do you want?" I got in before he hung up.

"A Greek salad, with grilled chicken. Tank will have the same," he said and hung up.

"Tank and Carlos are joining us for lunch," I turned and mentioned to Hector as I put my phone back into my bag.

"We see what Joe do when Ranger kiss you like he do," Hector said with a huge grin on his face, obviously waiting for the show to start. "He think _me_ protective."

When our waitress came over to take our order, I mentioned that two more people would be joining us and she quickly moved glasses, plates and napkins from the table next to us to ours to accomodate the additional guests. I didn't feel like pizza again and I guessed neither did Hector because we placed four orders for Greek salad, although Hector and I ordered spinach pies with ours.

I noticed through the mirror that I was facing that Joe and company's food had arrived. I wondered if they would be done eating and leave before Carlos got here to avoid any unpleasantries. Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case, as a new, shiny, black Explorer had just pulled into Pino's parking lot.

I saw Carlos and Tank get out of the car and they were both wearing suits. It's not often that I see Tank in a suit, but I have to say, he does wear it well too. Carlos took off his jacket, folded it and left it in the car. As he was rolling up his sleeves against the heat, I watched Tank go back and do the same. They still looked good. Far better than TPD's scraggily force a few tables behind us.

I mirror-watched Carlos and Tank greet Joe and the guys and continue over to us. Carlos came up behind my chair, put his arms around my shoulders and kissed me on the top of my head.

I got up so Tank could squeeze through and take the wall seat next to Hector. While we were both standing, Carlos pulled me to him, tipped my chin and softly kissed my lips. Not exactly the show Hector was hoping for, but I'm sure Joe didn't miss the opening act.

"Babe," Carlos addressed me after we both sat down, "I'm glad your meeting went well. What did they have to say?"

Hector and I told Carlos and Tank about the bad paper that the Eisenbergs had signed and about their wonder boy, Bruno Lucas.

"Meet with DataDependable. It sounds like we'd easily be able to buy the Eisenbergs out, but I want to know we are _partnering_ with the best data security place in the area. We could always hire Bruno Lucas if he is such an asset, but I want to be able to bring the smartest expert with us to the Bristol-Myers meeting tomorrow."

I understood what Carlos meant, we couldn't exactly bring Bruno to a meeting because of his language problems and the Eisenbergs might not be as personable or as smart as Peter Burg.

"How did your meeting go?" I looked from Carlos to Tank as I asked. Campbell's Soup would add another reputable name to Rangeman's roster, so I hoped it went well.

"Good. They asked about our services and when Ranger mentioned data security along with everything else we offer they seemed very impressed. They were going to mull over what we told them and call us back next week. Hopefully Ranger and I will be able to make that meeting," Tank answered, alluding to the Chapter 32 arraignment they had scheduled for Monday in DC. "And Stephanie, we'd like you to come with us."

I nodded yes to Tank. Our food had arrived while he was talking and as soon as the four of us had our lunch in front of us, I dug into my spinach pie. Oh God, was that fabulous. I noticed Hector looking at me strangely; I guessed I might have moaned.

"I'm sorry Hector," I said apologetically, "sometimes I just can't help myself."

"That's ok, I just never hear you before. Cal tell me about what you do."

I wasn't sure what Cal told him and I wasn't about to ask. I remembered the kitchen incident when Cal and Ram were at our house and I wasn't going there again, although I didn't think my moaning would have the same effect on a gay guy. We finished our lunch pretty quickly; well at least I did, and was contemplating dessert when Joe, Eddie and Carl came over.

"We just wanted to say goodbye," Joe said, "We have to get back to work."

"It was great seeing you guys," I said and meant it. "Eddie, I'm going to call you later. Carl, we have to catch up," I said as I kissed the three of them goodbye, then turned around and finger-waved to Big Dog who was throwing some cash onto their table.

I was glad it didn't turn into a big thing with Joe because I wasn't up for another scene. I watched through the window as Joe got into his POS and took off before I felt at ease again.

"So I understand, Kraven got away yesterday," I said to Carlos with a smile. "Hector told Joe."

"I should have told you this morning that that was what we were saying. Did Hector also tell you your ER records were sealed? And even if they weren't I'm sure no one would be looking for Ellen Lance's records."

"He did. Thank you Carlos."

"You and Hector should get going if you want to get there before one," Carlos said, looking at his watch. "Remember we have a date later," he added and pulled me into him for a really nice kiss...the kind Hector was hoping he would have displayed in front of Joe.

Hector and I got up, leaving Carlos and Tank to pay the bill. I really hoped our meeting with Peter Burg would go as smoothly as our earlier one did.

"Estefania, you have date later?" Hector asked while he drove, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Carlos wants to buy me an engagement ring and he found a custom jeweler in Haddon Heights, so he made us a 4:00 appointment."

"Go for big."

"What do you mean Hector?"

"Big diamond. Ranger can afford. Show off to all of 'Burg what you fiancé buy you."

"I'm not like that Hector. I felt uncomfortable wearing that over-the-top Samantha Pardo ring."

"It not pretty, just big. Find something you love, then won't seem bad. You see."

"I'll try to remember that when I try on rings, but I'm not going to let him get me something just because it's big."

"Remember I say. Ask Lula."

"Lula has over-the-top taste."

"But pretty ring. Ask Connie."

"Ok Hector, I hear you," I said to get off the topic of my ring. Also we were getting close to DataDependable's building now and seeing the underground garage again got me a little panicky.

"Estefania, ok I park garage?" Hector asked seeing me tense up as we got closer.

"It's ok Hector. It's not going to happen twice," and I really felt like it wouldn't, so we parked in the same spot we had parked yesterday.

We got out of the car and I had my hand to my earring to activate it if necessary. Hector fobbed the car locked and we started to walk out of the garage and over to the building. I could see Hector scanning the area and I felt safe in his presence. Almost as safe as when I'm with Carlos.

We made it to the building without incidence and Peter Burg's secretary, Jennifer, came right out and brought us back to see him. The offices were nice and there was the buzz of people through the hallways as we made our way to his office.

Peter stood when Jennifer announced us at his door and he ushered us in. "It's nice to finally meet you," he said extending his hand first to me and then to Hector. "Come in, sit down. Can I get you anything? A water maybe?"

We both declined and once we got comfortable I asked him the same questions I asked the Eisenberg's. Hector chimed in with a few technical questions and Peter answered them easily.

"Who does your coding?" Hector asked, as I now knew he would.

"I still do a lot of it, but I've hired a some people to help out. Would you like to meet them? I can take you around and introduce you?"

"That be nice," Hector said, and we got up to follow Peter out of his office and into an open area of cubicles.

"Alex, can you come out and meet Stephanie and Hector from Rangeman?" he called as we walked past a cubicle. I noticed Hector scanning the nameplates and smiling. I presumed the employees passed his three-country test.

"Stephanie, Hector, this is Alex Dasilva, he's my main coder. Alex this is Stephanie Plum and Hector Santiago from Rangeman." We shook hands and Alex addressed us in perfect English.

"Welcome. I understand from Peter you are looking for a data security company to partner with? I've worked with Peter for three years now and we have a great company here. My two associates, Victor Oliviera and Adriana Sousa along with myself and an occasional hand from Peter do all our own coding. We don't hire third-party help, even when we get busy, so nothing will leak out of here. I guarantee you that."

I liked his honesty and trust in the company he worked for.

"The three you have Brazilian surnames," Hector said smiling. "I write code too. Best coders from Brazil, Argentina and my country Bolivia. I'm happy to meet you."

"Sí," Alex said, smiled and started speaking rapid-fire either Spanish or Portuguese to Hector. Suddenly two other faces joined the group and we were introduced to Victor and Adriana. It was nice to see a female coder as I expected them all to be male.

I liked these guys. A lot. It was going to be hard to make a decision but I thought Peter and Alex had the personalities to be front men and would both do well in meetings with our clients. The Eisenbergs were a little whimpy and although both Hector and I liked Bruno Lucas, he just couldn't be sent out to represent Rangeman until his English got better.

We said goodbye to Alex, Victor and Adriana and followed Peter back to his office.

"Stephanie," he said as we seated ourselves again, "you mentioned that you wanted someone to make a new business meeting with you tomorrow. Unfortunately I have a prior commitment, but Alex can go in my place. That's one of the reasons I wanted you to meet him, he's excellent in meetings."

I got that same feeling. So now it was either the Eisenbergs or Alex. I wished I knew how to read minds. I would love to know what Hector was thinking. I tried to send him a mental message to see if he'd send me one back, but nothing happened.

"Peter, is there a place where I can talk a couple of things over with my associate? I know we need to make a decision right away and if you could give us five minutes alone, I think we can come to some conclusions."

"Why don't you stay in my office. I want to run next door for a few minutes and grab some lunch. Would that be enough time for you?"

I looked at Hector, who nodded.

Peter left and closed the door on his way out so that we'd have some privacy. A few seconds after it clicked shut Hector blurted out, "Alex, definitely, Alex."

"I was thinking the same thing. The only thing I'm sensing is that Peter is not interested in selling. I know Carlos would be happiest if he could own the company, but maybe that's down the road."

"I not so sure he no want to sell. He playing safe now. Ranger need to meet Peter. If Alex come to meeting tomorrow, Ranger should meet now. You think?"

"Carlos said he trusted us to come up with the best solution. If that means we meet with Peter again after the Bristol-Myers meeting, well then that's what we should do."

"Estefania, Ranger and Tank in DC on Monday. What they no come back?"

He was right. I pulled my phone out of my purse and texted Carlos.

"We found a great asset for you, but he cant make the meetng tomorrow. His main coder can. We like them both. Can you come here and meet Peter Burg?"

Two seconds later I got a text back. "I told U I trust U. Go with UR gut. I can meet him another time. Set up tomorrow and come home. We have a date :)"

I looked over at Hector and showed him Carlos' text.

"You heard him," Hector said. "You have a date."

With everything squared away and Alex set to meet us at Rangeman tomorrow morning at ten, there was nothing left to do but return home so Carlos and I could go out.

We said goodbye to everyone and walked back out to the garage. I noticed Hector on Rangeman-alert and took a step back until I got the all-clear nod from him. He fobbed the car open and we were back at Haywood in no time at all.

I guessed Carlos was in the control room and saw us approach because when the elevator opened he was on it.

"Babe, are you ready?" he asked, after giving me a nice welcome home kiss.

I nodded. "I'm good Carlos. Can I just stop and pee quickly? I don't think I'll make it to Haddon Heights without a pee break."

"I'll be in the car."

Instead of going to seven, I stopped at our main reception area on two to use the restroom and was back down in record time.

Carlos was in the driver's seat of the turbo. He had changed out of his suit into dress slacks, but he still had on the white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and he looked drop-dead handsome. God, how was I going to concentrate on rings when I had such a view sitting next to me?

"You good Babe?" he asked and I nodded, getting into the car and buckling up.

The ride to Haddon Heights takes about a half an hour, but in the turbo, and of course going above the speed limit, we can make it there in about twenty minutes.

We got there early, and Carlos parked right in front. Michael, the owner was waiting for us and had already pulled a few settings and a couple of books for us to look at. Michael explained to us about the four C's of diamonds, cut, color, clarity and carat. He also explained that certain settings are better for certain lifestyles. Because I was a bounty hunter a good part of the time we ruled out any kind of prong setting as the diamond could get chipped or at worst, separated from the ring more easily than with any other setting.

I'm not very hard to please, but I also know what I like and don't like. Although Carlos said they handpick their own stones from Belgium, I wasn't too crazy about any of the settings that I was left with. They were either too gaudy or the stone was hidden by the way they were set. I was quickly getting disappointed and Carlos could tell by the expression on my face.

"Babe? Do you want to take a couple of the brochures home and think about this some more?"

I wasn't sure why he was asking me this, as he was more gung ho than I was to start looking today. "I don't know Carlos, what do you think?"

"I think we should take some pamphlets for reference and think it over."

He turned to Michael who had really been helpful, thanked him and told him that we needed a little time, now that I knew what my options were.

We said goodbye and got back into the car, but instead of heading towards Trenton, Carlos pulled out of the parking space and headed towards Philly.

"Where are we going Carlos?"

"I made another appointment for us at Tiffany's. It's only a few minutes away on Walnut Street in Philly. I think we'll find something you'll like. I wanted to start with a smaller store so that you wouldn't be overwhelmed right away. But I agree with you, once we removed the prong settings from the equation, there was nothing that stood out. I supposed we could have designed our own ring, but we can always do that if you don't like what Tiffany's has to offer."

Carlos was right about the short proximity to Tiffany's and we were there in about ten minutes. Of course he got a spot right in front; one that even had time on the meter. Still I made a mental note that we only had forty-nine minutes.

As he had already set up a consultation we were directed to Mr. Fredricks who was waiting for us. Now that we knew that prongs were out of the question he showed us our other options. The rings were much more beautiful here and I assumed much more expensive.

Although I tried on a few rings, my eye just kept going back to one called 'Legacy'. It felt very Edwardian. It was a square platinum ring with rounded corners, small diamonds surrounding a larger central one and diamonds on both sides. Mr. Fredricks said it was called a cushion-cut and aside from my black diamond, it was one of the most beautiful rings I had ever seen.

"Babe, you seem to keep going back to this ring, do you like it?"

"I do Carlos, it's absolutely beautiful."

Mr. Fredricks let us know that the one I was currently trying on had only a one carat central diamond and that the ring was made in up to about a 2.5 carat size. Of course Carlos asked to look at the larger diamond. Mr. Fredricks quickly bundled up what he had taken out for us and brought them back for safekeeping. A few minutes later he came out with the ring I loved but with a larger diamond in it.

"We don't usually stock these, but I had a customer ask to see it, so we had this shipped up from our New York store. This particular ring is a 2.7-carat. It's going back tomorrow, so you are very lucky to see this in person."

I put it on and not only was it drop-dead gorgeous, it was in my size.

"Babe, what do you think?" Carlos asked, smiling his 200-watter.

"I love it Carlos."

Carlos turned to Mr. Fredricks. "Is this just a store model, or can we buy this one?"

"All our diamonds are of the highest quality possible, so if you're sure you like this one, I just need to shine it up and you can take it with you. We have matching wedding bands, if you'd like to see them while you're here?"

"Babe, do you want to look, or are you already in overwhelm?"

"I'm in overwhelm, but let's look. After all, I would hate to have picked a ring that doesn't work well with a wedding band."

Mr. Fredricks put my ring back into the box he took it out of, took it with him and went to get a sampling of wedding bands to go along with it. Obviously, they don't trust anyone.

Once Mr. Fredricks left us, Carlos took my hands, brought them to his lips and kissed them gently, "Are you happy, Babe?"

"Yes, very. Thank you Carlos."

"Just so you know, I was pretty sure you'd like this ring. I was the customer who asked that the larger stone be brought up from New York."

"How did you know?"

"Babe."

Mr. Fredricks came back with my ring, three women's wedding bands and a man's band.

"I didn't size you Mr. Manoso and I wasn't sure if you even wanted a wedding band, but this one fits the set so I brought it out."

The first one he showed me was a simple milgrain band in platinum. The one he picked for Carlos matched this, just a little thicker and bigger. It looked ok with the band as the milgrain edge matched the milgrain edge of the diamond ring, but it seemed a little ho-hum to me.

The second band was called a channel-set band and it had one small row of diamonds all around it. The diamonds matched in size and spacing to my ring, and I thought it went really well together.

The third one was over-the-top, so I didn't even bother to try it on.

Surprisingly Carlos tried on the man's version of the first ring Mr. Fredicks showed me.

"I like this and this seems to be my size, but since Stephanie doesn't seem drawn to its counterpart, do you have anything with cleaner lines for me? Just a simple platinum band, maybe a little thicker than this?"

He said he knew exactly what Carlos was talking about, packed up all our rings again and took them with him while he went in search of a ring for Carlos.

He came back with a beautiful ring. It was simple in that it had no milgrain on it, but it had rounded edges and was substantial in its size. Carlos tried it on and smiled.

We left the store with three rings and all of a sudden I was scared shitless. We were really going to do this. Not today or tomorrow, but we really were going to be together forever. And all of a sudden I started to cry.

"Babe, what's the matter? Are you having more cramping? Do we need to stop and get you something?"

"No, I'm ok. I'm just a little overwhelmed. I mean it just hit me that we're actually going to do this."

"Yeah Babe," he said and smiled. "I asked you to marry me and you said yes. Our forever, Babe."

And I burst into tears again.

"Babe?"

"No happy tears Carlos, I'm good. I love you…Forever."

To see Stephanie's ring: . ?GroupSku=GRP10013&selectedSku=19577376#f+1/0/0/0/0/0


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 40 _The bridge_

As we were driving back to Trenton, Carlos took my hand to his lips, "Babe, let's go out to dinner so I can propose to you again. And this time I'll have a ring to give you."

"It wouldn't be the same. I'd be expecting it," I said with a twinkle in my eye.

"Well then let's go out to dinner anyway. I want to give you your ring in a romantic setting. It doesn't seem right to just hand you over a box."

"Ok Carlos, but are you going to get me all hot and bothered? You know I can't do anything for six more days."

"Babe. There's more than one way to satisfy you. And if I think about it, I can probably come up with a good six, one for each day," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Am I going to regret any of these ways Carlos?" I asked, starting to worry about what he just might be thinking.

"I told you I'd never hurt you and I'd never do anything you didn't want me to do, so how much regret can you have? Think more like enjoyment, Babe."

This was true. Carlos has never hurt me and he's honored my few taboos. And honestly, I don't even know why I have any taboos with Carlos. He makes me feel so amazing and so loved. I guess I'd have to wait to see what he had up his sleeve, since knowing him, he wasn't going to tell me in advance.

"Babe have you ever been to Rat's Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture?"

"No, I haven't. I've seen the signs for the park, but I just assumed it was a sculpture garden and I wasn't interested."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," he said and handed me his phone. "Hal's on duty right now, see if he can get us a reservation. Ask for a table with a view of Monet's bridge. Rangeman is a patron, so we should be able to get in."

I called Hal and asked him if he could get us reservations for tonight and he told me to hold on. He came back on the line and said we had one for seven o'clock.

"Am I dressed ok Carlos?" I asked, suddenly feeling insecure.

"It's casual, you're fine. We should be there soon; I want to take you for a little walk around the place before dinner. It's really pretty."

"Ok, but I have heels on, are we going to have to walk on a lot of grass?"

"You'll be fine Babe," Carlos said as he turned onto Fairgrounds Road.

I knew this as the shortcut to the UPS customer center and was surprised when he turned in maybe a quarter of a mile before the warehouse. What I didn't expect was the lovely setting once we walked out of the parking lot. Carlos took me by the hand and we walked around a little pond. The sun was just starting to wane. There was steam coming off the water and the place felt just like a Monet painting.

There were yellow irises everywhere. We walked a little further and there was a green curved bridge and lily pads on the pond. Hanging trees and mosses were swaddling the bridge and the whole setting was very enchanting. We walked onto the bridge and I looked out at the steam hovering over the water. I noticed a blue rowboat off to my left and through the corner of my eye I saw Carlos get down on one knee and take my hand.

"Stephanie, I hope you know I love you very much. And I want to be with you forever. Will you marry me?"

He had me. I was expecting him to ask me over oysters or some other aphrodisiac in the restaurant. But this was perfect. He had my ring in his hand. He couldn't have been more serious, and he was waiting for my response.

"Yes, Carlos," I said and the tears started to fall from my eyes again.

He got up and took my hands in his. He took the black diamond off of my left hand and put it onto my right, and he put the Tiffany ring onto my left. It was so beautiful, I felt like a movie star.

And then he bent down slightly and kissed me. Oh my God. Carlos is such a fabulous kisser. I felt like I died and gone to heaven. When we broke apart, he looked into my eyes, still holding me.

"Forever Babe."

I nodded. "Forever, Carlos." And the spell of the moment was broken by the growl of my stomach, announcing its presence.

"Let's go feed that beast Babe."

We walked hand-in-hand back to the entrance to Rats and I was transfixed by just how whimsical the place was. It was fun, funny and colorful. The walls were decorated in murals, but the main color was orange. The place settings were bright blues and greens and reds and the ambiance was lively.

From the moment Carlos gave them our name we were treated like royalty. Could Rangeman really be that big of a patron? We were brought upstairs to a corner table for two and the view from our window was of the green bridge, steam still rising, where Carlos proposed.

"Babe, the food is French, " Carlos said, taking me out of my spell.

"Mmmm, Carlos. This is beautiful."

"Babe, after dinner do you want to stop off at your parents' house and share our news with them?"

"My mother's going to be all over us for a date. Just because you got her off the hall thing doesn't mean she won't be applying pressure. I think I'd like to postpone that for as long as I can."

"Babe I hate to bring this up, but I might not be coming back from DC on Monday, you know that right? I'd like to tell our families before I go."

"How about tomorrow then, after the Bristol-Myers meeting? We can see your parents and then mine."

"Ok and then we can head out to Belmar. Ella is cooking, so we need to stop back at Haywood after we see your parents."

"Carlos, we'll be in the car all day. Are you sure you want to tell them in person?" I asked, trying again for an out. My mother was going to be relentless.

"Babe."

Our waiter came by to get our drink order and Carlos ordered two glasses of champagne and then a bottle of wine to have with dinner. Maybe if I was intoxicated enough seeing my mother tonight might not be such a bad idea after all. Yes it would.

"Carlos, I have an idea. I can take a picture of the bridge and also of my ring. And we can take a picture of us together. Then I'll call my parents, we'll tell them and I can send them pictures. We'll be sharing and we won't have the cross-examination."

"You really don't want to see her, do you Babe?"

"Uh, no. Am I an awful daughter?"

"How will they feel about that? I know my parents would want to share in our happiness. I think they would be hurt if I just sent a picture."

"But your mother won't be all over you to give her a date, they'll just be happy for us. My mother doesn't see things like that. She wants to know what she can tell her friends. She wants to be able to say 'Stephanie is getting married on June 15th, 2013' or something like that. Oh God Carlos, I wish this wasn't so difficult."

"Can't you just say we haven't decided yet?"

"Carlos, you've met my mother. Do you think that's an acceptable answer?"

"Ok, let's do the pictures. Give me your iPhone."

Carlos took my phone from me and took some great pictures of the bridge illuminated by the lights that were shining on it. He then took a couple of pictures of the ring on my finger and finally he held his arm out to take a couple of pictures of the two of us kissing.

Our waiter came by with our champagne just as we were taking the last shot.

"Mr. Manoso, is this a special occasion? Do you want me to take a picture of the two of you?"

"Thank you," Carlos said and he handed him my phone.

Our waiter took a couple of shots before Carlos had the wonderful idea that we should be toasting each other with the champagne. Our waiter got a really good shot of the two of us; arms hooked through each other's, champagne glasses in hand, toasting one another. He then asked if we were ready to order.

I hadn't even looked at the menu. I was so distraught thinking about what to tell my mother.

"Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Of course, I'll be back."

We quickly looked at the menu and both decided on the Spring Greens salad. I chose the risotto with spinach and asparagus and Carlos had his mind set on something as unappealing-sounding as chicken under a brick. Our waiter came back and we ordered.

I wanted to get my mom over with, so I took out my phone. As we were the only people in the nook area where we were seated we wouldn't be disturbing anyone with our call.

The phone rang three times before my mother answered.

"Mom, it's Stephanie. I want to call you back on dad's iPhone. Carlos and I have some pictures we want to share with you. Can you dad, and grandma get together so we can show you all at once? I'm going to call you right back."

My mother agreed…now that wasn't too hard.

I called my dad's cell and he picked up on the first ring. I knew if I tried this earlier he would have just let it go to voicemail and then probably not checked it for a day or two.

"Dad can you put your phone on speaker?"

He did and I began, "Mom, dad, grandma, I just wanted to let you know that Carlos proposed to me this evening, and I accepted. We took some pictures of the place and of my ring and the two of us, so I'm going to text them to you."

I thought that went well until I heard a loud screech from my mother, "Stephanie, what did you just say? You and Carlos got engaged? Oh my God, have you set a date? Let me get a pen."

I held the phone away from my ear as she was squealing pretty loudly, and Carlos took it from me.

"Helen, it's Carlos," he said calmly. "We called because we wanted to share our happiness with you. We haven't set a date, nor have we even talked about a timeframe. We love each other and we just want to enjoy our engagement for a while, but we took some pictures to share with you. I'm going to text them to you, if you stay on we can talk and text at the same time."

"Hold on Carlos, I'm going to give the phone back to Frank; this is too complicated for me. I don't understand what I have to do."

I heard the phone shuffle back to my dad. "Ok, I'm ready, text me the pictures."

Carlos gave the dialogue while he texted. "I asked Stephanie to marry me on "Monet's bridge at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, this first picture I'm sending is the bridge."

I heard oohs and ahs from my mother and grandmother over the line.

Carlos continued, "This next picture is Stephanie's ring."

The screech from my mother began again. "Stephanie this is a huge diamond. Carlos how big is this?"

Carlos was calm, "It's a 2.7 carat center diamond with about a carat of diamonds surrounding it."

"I've never seen anything like this," the squeal continued.

"It's a beautiful ring. And it looks even more beautiful on Stephanie's finger. I'm going to text you one last picture," he said and sent the last picture the waiter took of us with our champagne glasses.

I took the phone back from Carlos after the texting was complete. "Mom, dad, grandma, we have to go, our food just arrived. We'll come over in person soon, but as Carlos said, we just wanted to share our happiness with you right now."

"Congratulations Stephanie and Carlos," this came from my grandmother.

"Best of luck you two. I love you pumpkin," from my dad.

"I'll have a nice pot roast on Sunday," from my mother.

"Thank you everyone. Mom, Carlos and I will be at our house in Belmar on Sunday. We'll see you soon though, ok?"

And we hung up. I was exhausted. I turned to Carlos and downed what was left in my champagne glass. "Don't tell me we have to do this again with your family?"

"We'll see them is person tomorrow after Bristol-Myers. I'm not telling them over the phone. My family would consider that rude."

"Ok, at least it will give my ears time to recover. They won't screech will they?"

"No, but my mother will probably cry. But good tears, she likes you a lot Babe."

While I was trying to get my ears to stop ringing, our salads arrived for real.

See the bridge where Carlos proposed: photos/chetd/2708949898/


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, and some really great suggestions for this chapter. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 41 _Decisions, Decisions_

"Babe, what are you doing?" Carlos asked as we were driving back to Trenton after our fabulous meal.

"I'm texting Hector the picture of the bridge and of my ring. Out of anyone, he'll appreciate seeing this the most."

"You'll see him tomorrow Babe. Can't this wait?"

"I'm not sure I'll see him tomorrow. He's not coming with us to Bristol-Myers and then we won't be back until late Sunday night. And he knew we had a date today."

While I was explaining just why I had to text Hector the pictures now, I got a text back from Hector.

"You listen Estefania :) Magnifico. Beautiful."

That made me smile.

"Does Hector approve?"

"Yes, he told me I listened to him and he thinks it's beautiful."

"Do I want to know about this conversation?"

"Probably not. But I don't want you calling him to the mats tomorrow morning either. You're so much bigger than he is. You'll hurt him."

"Becoming protective of my men now?"

"Just certain ones. Carlos, you know I love you and only you. You made me very happy today."

"Let's go home and show me how happy."

"Uh, are we going to have to get creative?"

"Come here Babe," Carlos said taking my hand, kissing it, and then bringing it to rest on his thigh. "I don't think _you'll_ need to get too creative," he added and brought my hand over his bulge. "Dios, I can't wait to get you home and out of those clothes!"

As I've said many times, I love touching Carlos. I love feeling the shape of his penis as it grows hard to my touch, and I know what that magical instrument can do. And oh God, I was getting really turned on just by rubbing my hand over him.

"Mmmm Carlos, are we almost home?"

"Babe, take it easy. We have all night."

"Mmmm. All night. I like the way that sounds."

Carlos gunned the engine of the Porsche and I found that we were pulling into the garage in no time at all.

"Babe," he said as he fobbed open the gate to the garage. "I hope no one's looking at the camera feed from the garage too closely. Dios, you have me in some state."

We parked and I noticed as we walked from the car to the elevator that Carlos strategically placed me between him and the security camera as he tried a few times to adjust himself. Tee hee. Stephanie, you are such a slut.

As we entered the elevator, I ran my arms around Carlos' neck. "Mmmm Carlos, let's take a shower together," I whispered, biting his ear.

"No massager, no bath and no hot tub," Carlos reminded me. "But I have some other ideas and we might want to save that shower for later."

"Carlos, what kind of other ideas?"

"Let's get inside first," he said as he fobbed us into the apartment.

I was ready to rip his clothes off. He got me into such a state in the car; I was ready for anything and everything that would bring me closer to that happy ending.

I took his hand as soon as he dropped his keys into the tray by the door and started to push him towards the bedroom. Carlos stopped and stood rigid; then he just shook his head no.

"What do you mean no?"

"Come with me to the kitchen Babe."

"The kitchen?"

"Mmm hmm. I want to get some supplies," he grinned.

Oh God. Well I knew it wasn't Reddi Whip or chocolate sauce, because Carlos doesn't stock those things, so I was wondering what he could possibly be going into the kitchen for. He opened the freezer and took out a tray of ice cubes.

He popped an ice cube out of the tray and held it in his hand to melt it slightly.

"Come here Babe," he finger-beckoned me to him.

"Carlos?"

"It was hot today Babe, come here."

I took a tentative step towards him wondering just what he intended to do with that ice cube. He lifted my hair and ran the dripping cube over the back of my neck. I thought I was going to jump from the cold, but it wasn't cold, just cool and refreshing. He then moved the ice cube to my lips and ran it over them. He pulled me to him and brought his warm lips to my cool ones and the contrast made me all tingly in places not associated with my lips.

"Let's bring these into the bedroom with us. You seem to like them," he said as he moved the ice cube to my right nipple over my shirt and bra. I could feel the coolness seep through the material and my nipple responded by peaking it's head up. He moved the ice cube to the other one and it too reacted favorably.

"God Carlos, you're making me crazy."

"Mmmm, that's the idea Babe," he said teasingly as we kissed our way to the bedroom.

He took off my shirt and rubbed his almost melted ice cube over my nipples through my bra. Then he bent down and put his hot mouth to my breast. He ran his tongue over my nipple, and then he bit me.

He took what was left of his ice cube and ran it between my breasts and down my belly. He let it melt into my belly button. He then brought his mouth there and spent some time dipping his tongue in and out—making love to my belly button. The contrasts were making me crazy.

"God."

"Yes?"

"You're driving me nuts and now you're joking about it," I said to him as he took another ice cube out of the tray and warmed it in his hands before putting it back.

"Come here, Babe. Let me show you how much I love you," he said, taking off the four inch heels I was still wearing.

He undid my pants and slipped them off my hips. He reached back into the tray for the ice cube he just discarded, and ran it along my inner thigh. He paid equal homage to my other leg and then used his warm mouth to lick both of them. He looked up at me with an evil grin on his face and I knew I was about to be treated to something I'd never experienced before.

He took the ice cube and ran it over the perimeter of one foot and then the other. And then he finally ran the ice cube over the soles of my feet and I suddenly became so freaking aroused.

"Carlos, I need you now."

"Mmmm Babe, you like this," he said and attacked my feet with the ice cube again.

"Believe it or not, the area of the brain that processes these feelings is the same area of your brain that registers sensations in your genitals. I can speed up your arousal by playing with you like this," he continued, educating me and running the ice cube over the soles of my feet again, torturing me.

I still had my matching panties and bra on, but nothing else. Carlos took the ice cube and brought it to my crotch over my panties, and ran it over my clit. He then stopped and put his warm mouth there. This man was definitely going to be the death of me.

"Carlos!"

"Babe, you want me bad," and he went down on me, moving my underwear out of the way so he could bring his mouth into direct contact with my bud.

"Oh God," I came immediately.

He then pressed the pads of his fingers against me and took my clit into his mouth and sucked me and I came again, louder. I reached for his penis through his pants, even though I knew I couldn't have it where I wanted it.

"Carlos, I need to taste you now," I said opening his zipper and pulling him out. Oh God he was so beautiful. My fully erect mocha latte popsicle. Would using ice on him have the same effect it did to me? I took the melted cube he put back into the tray and popped it into my mouth, then I took him in, swirled the ice over him and heard him moan.

I grabbed the base of his cock as I moved the ice around him with my mouth, putting pressure around the shaft to hold off his pleasure. Slowly I ran my fingers over his scrotum and pulled slightly, knowing that this drove him wild. I worked my hands and mouth in tandem until I could feel Carlos participating in the rhythm. He slid his hands into my hair, holding onto my head gently as his hips rose to meet me, thrusting into my mouth and silently begging for release. I added some pressure around his shaft with my fingers while I took him deeper and I was rewarded with a low groan as he came into my mouth.

The smile on Carlos' face spoke volumes. "Dios, Babe. Looks like you could be the teacher with those skills."

I woke up wondering where I was and that's something I haven't done in a while. At least not since Carlos first took me to his house in Belmar, which seemed like forever ago. It really took me a few minutes to realize I was in our bed on seven and Carlos was not next to me. I reached over to his side of the bed anyway, just to make doubly sure and was disappointed to feel that side of the bed cold.

Carlos must have been up for a while. I looked at the clock and saw that it was ten minutes after seven and I had a mental heart attack. I needed to be up, dressed and ready to leave by ten, and I wanted to go to the gym this morning.

I got up, quickly did the bathroom thing and pulled my rat's nest of a mop into a ponytail. I checked the kitchen to see if there was any coffee made and I found a pot warming. I smiled to myself, as I knew Carlos made this for _me_. Ella would bring up coffee and breakfast later.

I poured myself a cup and quickly checked my emails while I drank it. I found my running shoes, socks, a sports bra and shorts and got dressed. I finished my coffee, rinsed my cup and put it in the dishwasher. I grabbed my fob and my gun (I was told to always have it on me in the building and I was sticking to that agreement) and went down to the gym for a two and a half mile run.

Not surprisingly, Lula was on one of the treadmills. Although she had buds in her ears she somehow heard me approach and took one of them out to say hi.

"Girlfriend, I feel like I haven't seen you in days. What's up?"

I showed her my ring and she almost fell off the treadmill. "You guys got engaged? Shit. Holy shit, I need to see that again."

She slowed the speed on her treadmill and jumped to the sides so she could better see what I put in her face.

"White girl, this is beautiful. When did this happen?"

"Technically last night, but Carlos asked me unofficially a couple of days ago. I was almost certain Tank knew. He never told you?"

"I'll kill him. Tank knows better than to keep secrets from me." Then she burst into a huge grin. "Yeah, I knew. I just didn't want to let on that I knew. I wanted you to show me and tell me yourself."

Since she was already off the treadmill she pulled me into a big hug. "Congratulations, I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you." And I could actually feel Lula's bones as I hugged her back. God, she must have lost at least fifty pounds.

"Lula, how much weight have you lost? I can feel your bones."

"Yeah girlfriend, that's what Tankie says too," she grinned at me, all teeth. "Last time I weighed myself I was down forty-eight pounds. I'm no where near super-model size yet, but I'm getting there," she joked, reminding me of our trip to Las Vegas to find Singh.

"Lula, have you and Tank set a date?" I asked, suddenly wanting to know; feeling like maybe it's something we were supposed to do after all.

"No, we're taking this real slow. We just want to be together. But we are buying another house."

"You are? Where?"

"Not too far from you and Ranger's. The town is Lake Como. We're about ten minutes away from you. And we bought a boat. I always wanted a boat."

"Then we'll see each other often over the summer, this is great news Lula. Uh, have you seen Carlos?"

"Yeah, he and Tank are in a meeting with the lawyer. Devon called Tank around 5:00 this morning. Tank sounded upset, took a shower and came here. I think it's probably about their Article 32 arraignment on Monday. Tankie said Devon's been in DC all week trying to plea bargain."

"Hmm, I wonder why Carlos didn't tell me?"

"Girlfriend, you've had some week, I don't think he wanted to upset you more."

"Did Tank say how it's been going?"

"I think that's what this meeting is about."

She paused and then added, "Are you going to the Bristol-Myers meeting later? Tank said you found a data company? Listen, I'm wondering if I can help you and Hector. After all, the three of us will be on the same schedule as of Monday and no one knows social networking like me. I mean I don't know much about coding and securing data, but I know the influence a Facebook page can have and I can Tweet with the best of then. And I learn fast."

As she was saying this to me, things fell into place in my head pretty quickly. The three of us would be together for the next three months, getting certified from nine to three. If this really took off we'd need to hire some help anyway; and Lula was family and on the same schedule.

"Yeah, I think that might work. I'd like to talk to Carlos and Hector before I promise anything definite, but I think bringing you on board is a really good idea."


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

I'm trying to tie up the loose ends and bring this story to a conclusion. Why didn't you guys tell me it's harder to get out than it is to get in?

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 42 _Show Time_

Just as I was mulling over the idea that Lula, Hector and I could work together as the data security branch of Rangeman, Hector opened the doors to the gym. He looked around, saw me and smiled. He came over excitedly. "Estefania, let me see you ring close?" he asked and took my hand at the same time.

"Beautiful. Chica. I see you listen to me."

Lula was taking this all in. "You listened to Hector about what?"

"He said I should get a big diamond. That I needed a beautiful ring like yours."

"Hector, you think the ring my Tankie gave me is beautiful?"

"Sí, is a beautiful ring. So is Estefania's. I like both. Maybe someday I give beautiful ring to someone."

How romantic. Who knew Hector was a romantic? I knew he had good taste and like flash, but a romantic? Yeah, the three of us would make a good team.

I still hadn't done my two and a half miles, so I nodded my intent, walked back over to the treadmill and got on. I knew I interrupted Lula's, what is it six, maybe seven-mile run, so I was shocked to see that she was still talking to Hector instead of getting back on.

I could hear them talking over the monotonous hum of the motor beneath me. "Do you think Tank and Ranger will have to serve any time?" I heard Lula ask Hector. "Tank won't talk to me about it, other than he says it's a possibility."

"Sí, es possible, pero I no tink so. They work too hard for government. I just don't see."

That was good to hear. I hoped he was right.

I did my two and a half and finger-waved goodbye to Lula who was back on and still going strong. Boy, that woman had stamina. Hector was on the mats with Ram practicing some kind of martial arts thing, so I didn't want to disturb his concentration. I'd text him later if necessary. I took the elevator up so I could shower, have breakfast and get ready for my day, half-hoping Carlos would get in on five. When I don't see him in the morning, I feel very out-of-sorts.

I showered, shaved, buffed and conditioned and was trying to get my hair to cooperate when I glanced at my iPhone for a time-check. I saw the date. Friday, April 13th. Shit, Friday the thirteenth. Not that I'm overly superstitious, but there was just so much riding on this particular Friday the thirteenth. The Bristol-Myers meeting, Carlos' parents, the outcome of the meeting with Devon and getting out to Belmar to get ready for our get-together tomorrow.

One thing at a time, Stephanie, I said to myself as I heard the familiar click of someone turning the lock to our front door. It could be Ella, but I hoped it was Carlos. He usually coordinated his arrival back at the apartment with Ella bringing up breakfast.

I quickly applied mascara to the other eye, as I already had one done, and went out to see who just let themselves in. I felt the smile rise to my lips as I heard the keys drop into the dish. Carlos was home. I ran out of the bedroom and grabbed him around the waist, really happy to see him.

"Whoa, Babe, what a reception. What's going on?" he smiled at my almost tackle attack on him.

"I missed you." I paused before continuing my thought. "A lot." And I reached up on tippy-toes to kiss him hello on the lips.

"Mmmm Babe. What's up? Did you get some kind of good news?" Carlos asked, probably because I'm not usually this demonstrative in the morning.

"No, I just didn't see you this morning and I missed you. Lula said you and Tank had an early morning meeting with Devon. How did that go?"

"Not quite as well as we were hoping, but we can talk about that later. First, I want to take a quick shower and then we can have breakfast together. Ella should be up any minute."

What did he mean 'not as well as we were hoping'? I guess I'd have to wait till breakfast to find out. As I was musing to myself, Ella knocked on the door then used her key to let herself in. I helped her move dishes from her cart to our breakfast bar.

"Stephanie, I know this isn't Carlos' usual breakfast, but I made asparagus and mushroom frittatas this morning, so I brought up a big piece. Carlos may not want to deviate from his norm, but I thought you might like it," she said with a wink as she opened the cover so I could get a whiff.

"Oh my God, Ella, this smells fabulous. Thank you."

She put the coffee carafe on the bar and I helped her take her now empty cart to the door as Carlos came into the kitchen looking all damp and sexy.

"Mmmm Babe," he said, pulling me close and kissing my neck. "You are just what the doctor ordered after that meeting this morning. Let's have breakfast and I'll bring you up to speed."

He smelled like a combination of warm Carlos and Bvlgari green and I was very happy to just snuggle into his still damp chest. "Ok Carlos, but I think I'd like to stay here for a couple of more breaths. Oh God."

He swatted me on my ass with a smile and we broke apart to sit down to breakfast.

Not surprisingly, Carlos had his usual whole grain bagel, low-fat cream cheese and mega-expensive, super-imported smoked salmon. I had the frittata. ''Ok, I can't take it anymore, what did Devon say?" I asked after a mouthful of frittata and two sips of coffee.

"Devon asked for no time to be served and that any record of this courts martial be sealed so as not to hurt the Rangeman enterprises." He paused to take another bite. "It looks like Colonel Briggs is going to agree to the sealed records, but not the time. He wanted us put away for the max, one year, but Devon has been talking him down. This will all come out during the Article 32 on Monday. We should be free to leave after the arraignment but after the trial itself, which is on the docket to start May 8th, it looks like we will have to serve some time."

"How much time Carlos?" I asked holding my breath, my world falling apart around me.

"Three months. But Devon is still negotiating. He'd like to get this down to as little as four weeks. Tank and I don't mind doing hard labor, and if four weeks of hard labor is what it will take to get this over and done with quickest, then that's what we'll agree to."

"Hard labor? Can they even do that anymore? Isn't that unconstitutional?"

"This is the military Babe. No rules. They can do whatever they want."

"So what exactly is hard labor?"

"It could be anything from digging foxholes in full battle gear under the blazing sun to doing lawn work or picking up garbage around the base. It's under Briggs' discretion. He could be a real bastard and make us work towards a totally useless goal, something as demeaning as filling and then emptying sandbags, for example."

"And you would agree to this?"

"Babe, anything to bring me back to you the quickest. Being away from you will hurt more than any hard labor they could impose on me."

Shit.

"We can talk about this more later. Alex Dasilva from DataDependable will be here soon, and we'll need to leave for Bristol Myers. Tank is coming too. I thought we could take two cars so we can go to Newark after the meeting and Tank and Alex could come back here. I think we should take the Cayenne, considering Ella has five large boxes for us to bring out to Belmar."

"Five boxes? What did she make?"

"I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to find out. And since it's been so warm I had the pool patched, painted and filled during the week. I know you can't go in it for a few more days, but we can sit out under the heat lamps and share a lounge chair after dinner," he wolf-grinned.

Romantic Carlos. Ah.

"Let's get ready Babe," he pulled my chair next to his and lifted me onto his lap, certainly not in as much of a hurry as he sounded. "I can't wait to have you all to myself later." And I was treated to some very attentive ear and neck nibbling.

Tank buzzed us, breaking our romantic moment. "Alex is here. We'll meet you in my office in ten?"

"Ok, we'll be right down."

A very quick Carlos transformation occurred once we broke apart and he left the kitchen. He reappeared as sexy GQ Carlos, all spikey-haired and suited. God I love the way this man looks in a suit. The material draped him perfectly and these pants in particular hung low on his hips. I couldn't help but stare at him.

"See something you like Babe?"

"Always."

"Come on, let's get going, we don't want to keep everyone waiting. You can ogle me later," Carlos said with a huge grin while I just stared at him with my mouth open.

As the elevator pinged that we'd arrived on five we smoothed our clothes from the stolen kisses between floors and made our way to Tank's office. Alex was seated and stood when he saw me. He shook my hand warmly and I introduced him to Carlos. We needed a little time as a team to go over our meeting agenda and do a quick run-through. Carlos and Tank were going to open the meeting with general security concerns and measures and Alex and I got the second half for data. Ten minutes into our run-through, I felt like we were 'on' and ready to tackle anything.

We gathered up our papers and headed for the elevator. This would either be an easy meeting and I'd be able to concentrate on my next task at hand: breaking the news of our engagement to Carlos' parents, or this meeting was going to run over and alter the pattern of the day. There was no way to tell until the meeting was underway, so I just resigned myself to do my best.

Carlos and I took the Cayenne and Tank and Alex one of the Explorers and we set off for New Brunswick. Hector created some kind of iPhone app for Rangeman to use in their cars, similar to a walkie-talkie thing where you just 'push to talk' instead of making phone calls. Personally I couldn't tell the difference, but if they thought this was safer/easier/faster, who was I to argue? Anyway Carlos set up his iPhone in the holder on the console between us and it was my job to man it while he drove.

A sound like old-fashioned walkie-talkie static interrupted my thoughts and I saw his iPhone come alive with a map and some other buttons on it. Tanks voice came over the speaker. "Here's our route, looks like very light traffic in front of us, we should be there in about thirty-five minutes."

I was fascinated by the map in front of me. It wasn't like any GPS thing that I was used to; this seemed to register the traffic around you, including car color and size. On the screen there was a red truck between our car and Tank's and when I turned around to see if this was the case, there was a red truck behind us. I wondered if this was an existing app or if Hector created this one too. If he did, that man was a genius.

Tank's voice came on again, "Alex is impressed with Hector's little traffic app here. He says it's far better than the traffic avoidance apps that you can download. You'll have to let Hector know Bomber."

"Carlos, how do I talk back to Tank?"

"You just push the 'push to talk' button."

I did as I was instructed. "Tank, I think you and Alex should call him yourselves. I think he'd be happy to hear that someone other than us noticed one of his creations."

"Ok Bomber, we'll call him from my other phone."

I could hear Tank handing Alex a phone and telling him to call Hector. I guessed they forgot we were still on or else he wanted me to hear Hector's reaction.

I heard Alex's voice, "Hector?" And that was all I could understand because the rest of their conversation was in fast-paced Portuguese. I guessed Carlos would be able to understand what was being said so I glanced at his face to see if it registered recognition. It did. Damn, I guessed I'd just have to wait.

"What's he saying?" I whispered to Carlos, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer.

"Shh. I can't hear when you talk. Um, he's praising him."

"But what's he saying?" I pressed again.

"I'll tell you later."

I heard Hector say 'de nada', which I've learned means, 'it was nothing', so I knew Hector was trying to make light of what Alex was saying. But secretly I knew Hector was pleased. Good.

The rest of the ride was quiet and we made it to New Brunswick in just under half an hour. We were fifteen minutes early, but we parked and went inside to announce our arrival anyway. It was a huge place with a lot of land around it and the entrance area was encased in a glass silo going up the full three stories. It was impressive.

At the front desk we all had to show ID. Obviously Tank had given Alex a Rangeman ID and business cards in the car because what he was showing looked just like mine. Guessed they weren't going to tell we were sub-contracting the data out.

A tall blonde woman came down to the desk just as we were finishing up signing in to take us up to Lamberto Andreotti's office. Hmmm, that name sounded Portuguese to me. I looked over at Alex who was silently smiling to himself. Yep, I bet I guessed right. He saw me looking at him, shook his head no and whispered Italian. Well, I was almost right.

Our meeting went remarkably well. Tank and Carlos were very convincing. They had done their competitive analysis homework and had taken Mr. Andreotti through the security measures that his competitions were currently using. Operating with blueprints of the facilities, Carlos proposed an even more hi-tech set up for Bristol Myers and Mr. Andreotti seemed to be on board. We were introduced and I let Alex take the floor. He talked about 'our' proprietary firewall and the other advanced data security services we could provide. I just smiled and nodded like a happy mother hen, as I had nothing additional to offer.

We shook hands goodbye with the promise that he'd meet with his board on Monday and be back in touch. He spoke about the possibility of us coming back mid-week to present to the board in person and we all nodded that we could. This initial meeting went way better than I'd expected.

We left feeling really good about everything we'd done. I only wished Hector were here to share this with us in person. We had a small de-briefing in the parking lot and then we each went our separate ways. Them, back to Trenton and Carlos and I on to Newark to have lunch with Gloria and Ricardo.

"Do your parents' know we're coming?" I asked as we were buckling ourselves into the Cayenne.

"I mentioned that we might stop by after the meeting. I was vague but they wouldn't be shocked if we showed up."

I looked at the iPhone holder in front of me and wondered if mine would work there too. "Carlos, will my iPhone do what yours did earlier? Can I plug mine in?"

"It will work. And so will your iPad, which will give you a much larger viewing area."

"My iPad will plug into this small holder?" I asked, not seeing the big picture.

"Not into the holder, lift up the arm rest here, you'll see a connector that looks like your charger, just plug it in to your iPad." I did as I was told.

"How do I get Hector's traffic program? Do I have to download an app or something?"

"No, you should be all set up. Hector created some kind of program that automatically downloads and updates all the apps Rangeman is currently using. It's that icon that looks like a walkie-talkie."

I found it and clicked it open. "Wow. Cool."

I typed in Carlos' parents' address and the road map appeared along with all the cars that were around us. This really was a brilliant app.

"Can we talk through this one too? It's not a phone."

"Of course you can, it uses VOIP. Voice over internet. You don't need a phone line. That's why we like it; it's very hard to tap into. Someone would have to know my IP address. And Hector changes those all the time."

Wow. Did I partner with the right person or what?

"Holy shit. Did you know Hector could do all this when you first hired him? I remember him installing security cameras for you."

"I knew he was really tech-savvy. I didn't know his aptitude until I gave him free-reign to create whatever apps he wanted to. He's pretty brilliant. And now that he's decided he wants to learn English better, I'll be able to utilize him even more. And you too, if you're interested."

"I don't know how to do this stuff. I like it, but I just don't have what it takes to do things like coding."

"You have other skills Babe. You found Peter Burg, Alex Dasilva and who was that other person from PrimoData? Bruno Lucas. I couldn't have found them. And I doubt Hector could have found them as quickly as you did. You have an amazing aptitude for searches. And you have great people skills."

"Thanks Carlos. But that was nothing, really." While we were on this subject, I thought I'd bring up Lula.

"Carlos, this morning Lula asked me if Hector and I could use her help with the data end of things. Since we'll all be taking the certification together and keeping the same hours, I thought that might be a good idea. She says she can help with social networking or anything else we want her to do. I told her I wanted to talk to you and Hector about it first. What do you think?"

"Tank mentioned it to me this morning too. She's been mulling it over with him for a few weeks. She told him she'd like to take some night courses too. It sounds like she's really interested."

"So what do you think?"

"It's your division Babe, what do _you_ think?"

"I think yes. I just want to get Hector on board before I say anything to her."

We made really good time getting to Newark and I was so involved watching the little cars come up next to us on Hector's app that I didn't realize we took an exit until I saw it on the screen. "Are we here already?"

"Yeah Babe. You were very entertained by that app. I've never seen you so enthralled in anything electronic before."

"That's because Hector created it. How did he do it? How did he get these car and truck icons to be similar in size and color to the cars around us? These are icons they aren't satellite images. I'm really impressed."

"Ask him. I'm sure he'll tell you.

"Ok we're here. Are you ready for this Babe?" Carlos asked, parking the car and taking my hand.

"I'm good," I said brightly, although I wasn't exactly feeling that way.

Carlos' grandmother opened the door as we made our way up the front walk. "Stephanie. Carlos. Gloria say you may stop by. Good to see you."

"Abuela," I said giving her a kiss on the cheek. Carlos did the same while his mom and dad came to the door to greet us.

Ricardo had a big smile on his face as he kissed us hello. "Come in, sit down. So to what do we owe this visit?"

"I told mom we may stop by, we were in New Brunswick."

I saw Ricardo glimpse at my hand and then wink at Carlos. I got the feeling he already knew.

"Are you staying for lunch?" Gloria asked, ready to get up to put something together.

"Sit mom. We wanted to share some news with you first and then maybe we can all go out for lunch."

His mom sat down and looked back at us blankly. "Ok."

"Mom, Dad, Abuela, I asked Stephanie to marry me last night and she accepted."

His mom jumped up excitedly, "Congratulations. I'm so happy for the two of you."

She came over to hug us, tears in her eyes. Ricardo got up to hug us too while Abuela sat on the couch smiling happily at the both of us. I knew it was hard for her to get up and down on her own, so I moved our little hugging party closer to her and reached my hand down to help her up into our group hug.

It was very touching. There was so much love for us in the room.

I suddenly felt a tug on my hand taking me out of my happy place. Carlos' mom had my left hand. "This is a gorgeous ring. Carlos did you pick this out?"

"Thank you. We both did," he replied.

I showed my ring to his father and grandmother and it received a few more ahhs. Thankfully no yelps. I don't think my ears could take anymore of that. Carlos mentioned lunch again and his mom and grandmother went to get their bags so we could go out.

We all piled into the Cayenne, which was deceptively roomy and headed out to a little Italian place that Carlos knew of.

"I don't suppose you've set any dates yet?" his mother asked from the back seat, sounding surprisingly like my own mother.

"No, we just want to enjoy our engagement for a while without the pressure of making a big party," I answered.

"That's nice. I wished some of my other children would have done that. Daria was in such a hurry. And I think Carla, that's Alex's ex-wife, was instrumental in them getting married less than three months after he proposed. You're smart to wait."

"Thank you. I'm still in overwhelm from everything that's happened so quickly. I think I'd implode if I had to add the pressure of a wedding to my list. We're committed to each other and being engaged says enough for now."

Lunch was fabulous. Carlos held and kissed my hand often throughout the meal. I felt honored and cherished; and above all I felt loved. His family was thoroughly happy that we took this step towards our forever and there was no pressure from them for us to take this further right now. Thank God.

Carlos explained that he didn't want Maddie's party to be my first time meeting his siblings and that we had invited them over to our house tomorrow so that Brett and I could get acquainted with everyone. They couldn't have been happier. When Carlos mentioned Brett I immediately turned nosy. I _had_ to ask Gloria how things were going.

"Good, I think. Lauren has brought Brett to the house a few times. They seem to be very much in love. I think they may be looking at apartments together."

"Really? Any news from Jen? Has she gotten in contact with Lauren?"

"Not that I know of. But I would be the last person that Lauren would tell. She knows how I feel about Jen. She manipulated my daughter; their relationship was not healthy. And I'm not talking about the gay thing. I'm not at all homophobic and I was 100% willing to accept my daughter in a gay relationship. It was Jen I couldn't stand."

Whoa. This woman could cut to the chase. Glad she liked me.

The rest of the ride back to their house was pretty much in silence. We dropped them off and kissed everyone goodbye. It was only after we were back on the road towards Rangeman that it hit me. Carlos never mentioned his incarceration to his parents.

"Carlos, is there a reason you didn't tell them that you may be going away for three months?"

"I didn't want them to worry needlessly and if Devon can bring the stay down to four weeks, I may not tell them at all. I've been out of contact with them for more than four weeks at a time before."

"You have to tell them. You can't leave them guessing. You were the one that told me that if they keep you there is no outside contact. I don't think they'd like to hear about you serving time from Devon. Or from me. Please, talk to them."

"OK Babe, you win. We'll come see them after the arraignment. We may know more after that too."

We parked in the garage and went up to get the five boxes of food that Ella had prepared for Carlos' sibling-get-together tomorrow. We had clothes and everything else we needed at the house already, so there was no need to pack unless we wanted something specific to wear. Since this was our engagement announcement of sorts, I thought the pink linen suit that Ella bought for Jennifer Colón might be nice. It was simple, casual, yet elegant.

"Carlos, can we stop back at the apartment after we load the boxes? I think I want to bring my pink suit out to the house."

"Are you sure? This is just an afternoon get-together. I think you'll feel over-dressed. I guarantee my family will be wearing shorts since it's still so hot. In fact I emailed them that the pool will be open, so I'll bet they bring bathing suits."

"Carlos! I only have bikinis. I can't wear a bikini with your family."

"Of course you can Babe. You have a great body, you can most certainly wear a bikini."

"Thank you, but that's not what I mean. What will they think of me?"

"I don't understand. I've seen Izzy, Celia and Daria in bikinis and to me you look better than they do. You'll be just fine. I thought Ella bought you some matching cover-ups if that's what you're concerned about. Or you could just throw on a pair of shorts over your bathing suit. Babe, you're beautiful."

"So you think the linen suit is too much?" I asked again, trying to change the subject.

"I'd rather see you in a bikini," he wolf-grinned, ending that discussion.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

I'm trying to tie up the loose ends and bring this story to a conclusion. Why didn't you guys tell me it's harder to get out than it is to get in?

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 43 _Mystery Solved_

When we got out to the house it was still light out, so after putting the contents of Ella's boxes away and changing into shorts and T-shirts, we went out to look at the pool. The service did a really nice job. The pool was painted white although it looked 'pool blue' with water in it. And the Santorini blue tiles that rimmed the top had been replaced. Not that I had the pleasure of seeing it before, as the tarp covered it the entire time we stayed out here. But Carlos took me through what he had asked them to do.

The water was up to the tile level and Carlos pulled a thermometer out from the five-foot depths to read the water temps.

"It's 80º Babe. Do you think I should raise it a couple of degrees?"

"Our pool is heated?" I asked, thinking the air alone was what kept it at temperature.

"Yeah Babe. The solar panels over the garage heat the pool water. We can only get it so warm though or we'll risk growing algae. 80-84º is optimum. I think we should raise it a couple of degrees, then it will be perfect for tomorrow."

Solar panels, hmmm. How high-tech. "OK. I want to put my feet in it. Can we sit out here for a bit?" I asked, taking off my flip flops.

"Sure Babe. Then I'll make us some dinner and we can come back out later. Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Yes, thank you. Something red would be nice."

"We have a 2006 Pinot Noir in the wine cellar that will pair really nicely with the grilled lobster tails I'm planning to make for us."

"Grilled lobster tails? Oh my God, I love lobster tails. How did you know? Where did you get lobster tails?"

"From Maine Babe. I had them shipped overnight. Philip brought them over to the house this morning."

"Fresh?"

"Yeah, Babe. Only the best for you."

"Thank you Carlos."

"I'll get the wine, stay where you are. Enjoy your feet in the water," he said, leaving me to make figure eights with my feet like a child.

Carlos brought out two glasses of wine and handed them both to me while he moved a glass table closer to us and took off his sandals to join my feet in the water. Once he was situated I handed him back his glass and we toasted each other.

"To us Babe. I love you more than words can say."

"I love you too Carlos. Thank you."

We clinked glasses and each took a sip. Carlos put his wine down on the glass table. Then he reached over and took my glass from me and joined it with his. I was wondering what he was up to when he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

His perfectly sculpted lips were soft and wet, tasting slightly sweet from the wine. His tongue touched my lips asking for entry into my mouth. I parted them and let him in and when his tongue found mine I couldn't help but moan. More than anything in the world (well almost anything), I loved kissing Carlos.

When we broke apart my lips were stinging slightly from the unexpected contact and I wanted more. I pulled him to me this time and bit his bottom lip playfully until he opened his mouth to let me in. I explored his mouth with my tongue—running it over his soft inner cheek and finally coming into contact with the velvety feel of his. God was this erotic. I wasn't sure if it was having my feet in the water, the sip of wine, or if I was just high on Carlos, but I felt myself getting very turned on.

I moved my hand to Carlos' thigh to see if this kissing session was having the same effect on him and I could feel his shorts straining from his growing erection. I moved my hand to his crotch and rubbed lightly, feeling the shape of his bulge with my palm. God I wanted this man, and I couldn't have him where I wanted him.

"Carlos, you're getting me very turned on, how about we go inside?" I whispered as softly as I could.

"Mmmm Babe, how about we stay out here? No one can see us."

"God Carlos, I want you."

"That's the idea Babe." He said turning his attention from my mouth to my neck and the sensitive area behind my ear. Just when I thought I couldn't stand it any more, Carlos returned to my lips and treated them to some biting, sucking and kissing. I remembered that he told me once that my lips were one of my top ten erogenous zones and I think he was trying to prove a point. I wondered if it was possible to orgasm from being kissed?

He started nibbling his way down my body, getting me more and more turned on as he went. He was biting and caressing my breasts through my T-shirt and bra. Suddenly my T-shirt was gone.

His mouth was on my breast, teasing my nipples with his teeth through the fabric of the bra. He bit me sharply and I jumped a little from the unexpectedness of the bite. Then he kissed the nipple he bit and moved back up to my mouth.

I really think it was my feet still in the water that had me feeling this way. I remembered the ice running on them had the same effect, and now my crotch was aching for contact.

"Carlos, touch me."

"All in good time Babe."

"Carlos, please, I need you to touch me. I'm going crazy."

As if in answer to my desperate plea, he picked me up out of the water and took me over to one of the Adirondack chairs that were around the pool. The chair was wide enough for two, but Carlos sat down first and deposited me on his lap so that I was facing him. My legs curled around his back. We were chest-to-chest and crotch-to-crotch. Perfect for what was still off-limits. Damn.

He leaned me back so that my head was now on his legs and he started trailing kisses along my belly. He ran his hand under the waistband of my shorts and I shuddered. God, this man really was going to be the death of me. His mouth was back on my belly and I felt him reach for me under my arms and pull me back up into his lap. The assault on my mouth started again and the ache in my crotch was unrelenting. I needed release.

I felt him unbutton my shorts and slowly, too slowly for me, unzip the zipper. His lips were still on mine, but his hands were under the elastic of my thong. Inches. Heaven was just inches away.

Suddenly my shorts were down around my knees and his head was between my shorts and my groin. Yes, this was what I wanted. I could feel his warm breath on my crotch, but I wanted…no…needed more. Then my underwear joined my shorts down by my knees and Carlos' mouth was on me. His tongue was moving up and down, up and down along my clit and I came with a really loud shudder almost instantly.

"God, Carlos," I yelled through clenched teeth.

He treated me to another, and then another orgasm with his very talented mouth and then I felt so much better.

Once my heart rate returned to normal I reached my hand up his leg and under his shorts until I found what I was looking for. Actually, I couldn't miss what I was looking for. He was very erect. I peeped his head out the leg opening and I teased it with my tongue. Two could play at this game. I swirled my tongue over the little bit that was peeking out, then I treated it to a first-class washing. I heard Carlos moan, so I undid his fly and took him out. He was so big and beautiful in my hands; I just wanted to look at him for a minute.

"Close your eyes and lean back, Carlos," I suggested so I could stare for another few seconds.

I then moved my mouth over him and took him inside. I treated him to some licking, some sucking and some loud slurping. I looked up at his face and could tell that he was very content. I sucked the very tip of his penis with short, fast strokes while running my hand up and down his shaft and alternately caressing his balls. I felt him tighten, then release into my mouth. God I loved this man.

We just lay together in the chair for a while until Carlos came back down to planet earth.

"Babe, let's bring our wine inside and you can help me start dinner. Do you think you might want to eat out on the patio tonight, it's beautiful out here?"

"That's a great idea," I said, picking up our barely touched wine and carrying the glasses inside. Thinking about it, this man had really changed my life. Sipping wine I'd never have been able to afford on my own, grilling lobster tails poolside at this home that I shared with Carlos and experiencing orgasms that were mind-altering. I imagined what my life would have been like if I stayed with Joe after finding out about Terri. No, that would not have happened. Thank God.

"Earth to Babe," Carlos said, breaking my train of thought. He pulled me close and kissed me on top of my head.

"Sorry, I was just having an alternate-reality moment. I love you so much Carlos. Not because of this," I said, opening my arm to take in the house and the pool, "but because of you. The man I love more than the air I breathe."

"I love you too Babe. And this," he in turn nodded to the house and pool, "is just the beginning of our forever. Come on, let's get started with dinner."

Carlos had me cut up mangos, avocados and red onions for salad. He made an herb butter for the lobster and showed me how to butterfly the tails. He then inserted metal skewers down the tails so they wouldn't curl when they grilled. He brushed the tails with olive oil and seasoned them with salt.

"Babe if you could wash, spin and lightly chop this baby arugula and put the salad together while I heat up the grill, that would help a lot."

"OK boss. What are you doing with these new potatoes? Do you want me to boil them?

"Yes, just put them on for seven minutes. I want to wrap them in aluminum foil with some of the herb butter and put them on the grill. We _could_ grill them without boiling them first, but we'd have to allow about thirty-five minutes. The lobster only needs about four to five minutes a side, so let's parboil them first."

I sipped some more wine while I listened to him explain Grilling 101. "Ok. And what are you doing with these peaches here? Are peaches even in season?"

"Philipe brought them over…I don't know where he got them. I thought we could grill them and have them for dessert."

"Grilled peaches? Sounds strange."

"They're really good Babe. You make a glaze with cinnamon, rum, butter and brown sugar and baste it over them as they grill. I think you'll love them. You can have it over ice cream if you want. I'm a purist, I like mine just grilled, but I asked Philipe to make sure we had vanilla ice cream on hand in the freezer for you."

"Thank you." God, was there nothing he didn't think of?

I set the table outside while Carlos put the lobster tails and the parboiled, herb-buttered, foil-encased potatoes on the grill. I refilled our wine glasses and brought them over so we could sip while the tails grilled.

"Five minutes on this side Babe, do you want to time it?" he asked as he handed me his iPhone so I could set the timer. After a few minutes it started to smell really good. Carlos brushed the tails with some of the herb butter and closed the lid again.

"Carlos, can we build a fire on the beach and try this over wood one day?"

"I'm not sure what kind of restrictions there are for that, but we can find out. We own the beachfront property, so it's ours, not the towns'. I think as long as there is no ordinance against it, we should be able to do that. Maybe we could do a clambake too."

He saw my nose wrinkle up at the mention of a clambake.

"Babe, what's the matter?"

"Uh, I've just never liked clams, they were always so gritty. But I can try again."

"I promise you, mine won't be gritty. You just have to know what to do with them."

"And you do?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Babe."

The timer went off and Carlos turned the tails over, spooned some of his herb butter onto the tails that were peeping out of the now bright-red shells and closed the cover.

"Four minutes on this side, or until the meat is opaque and then everything is ready."

Wow that was fast.

"The potatoes are ready too?"

"Yep, but we can leave them on the grill for another minute while I whisk up some salad dressing. If they get a little brown it just adds to the flavor. Can you watch the grill while I make the dressing?"

"Aye, aye boss," I said and was treated to a little ass swat for my smart mouth.

Dinner was fabulous. I'd never tasted lobster tails like these—they were sweet and succulent. And the salad went perfectly with the tails. The idea of a mango salad seemed like it might be too much; but it wasn't. It worked. And worked well. And Carlos was right about Pinot Noir with the delicate lobster meat. It just worked.

We sat outside after dinner and had a little more wine. Then Carlos went back in and brought out the peaches and his rum glaze. I watched him put the skewered peaches on the grill and put some glaze over them. He grilled them until they started to brown on one side, then he turned them over and brushed more glaze on the other side. When that side browned too, they were done. He had my ice cream sitting out, tempering slightly. He took the skewers from the grill, put mine on top of the ice cream and handed the bowl to me. He had his on a plate, sans vanilla. I took one bite and couldn't hold back the moan that accompanied the taste.

"Carlos, this is fabulous."

"I told you Babe. Have I ever steered you wrong?"

This was true, he never had. Well, except maybe sending me back to Joe. But we'd been through that. He thought he was doing what was best for me then.

"God Carlos, how did you learn to make this?"

"My grandmother in Miami made it all the time, but without the rum. You can grill pineapples and mangos too."

"Is this grandmother going to come up for Maddie's party, I'd love to meet her."

"She's coming up with my uncle Emilio. I want you to meet her too. They're staying with my mom and dad for a few days after the party. This is my dad's mom. Abuela Maria. Abuela Rosa is my mother's mother."

"Julie will be up then too. Does Julie know her?"

"Not very well, but they have met before. Abuela Maria is Julie's great-grandmother. Her Bisabuela. Abuela Rosa is her Bisabuela too. Rachel and Ron thought it might be nice for her to get to know both of them while she's staying with us. For me a little family goes a long way, so I'm going to rely on you to pull my head out of my ass, ok?"

"I don't see you on the phone talking to people very often. How do you know all these things? And do Rachel and Ron know about our engagement?"

"I spoke to Rachel this morning after our meeting with Devon. I promised to let her know what was going on with the Article 32 and if it would affect Julie's stay. Julie's going to have to take off a few days from school and Rachel wanted to be able to clear up everything with her teachers. They are going to give her homework to do too, so this won't be all fun and games. And yes, Rachel and Ron are very excited for us. Julie doesn't know yet, but Julie loves you, so I think that will go smoothly."

"Is it up to us to tell her, or are Rachel and Ron going to do that?"

"Rachel thought we should tell her. We can call her tomorrow before the party."

"Ok. How do you think she'll react?"

"I think she'll be very happy. Babe, stop worrying. Everything will turn out ok. Not to change the subject, but are you sure you don't want to invite Mary Lou and your sister to come tomorrow? I think they'll be hurt if we make our engagement announcement without them."

"This is very last minute. I don't know that they'll be able to get babysitters."

"Why don't you call them? And if they can't get a babysitter, maybe Ella can watch all of them at her place."

"Would Ella give up her Saturday for this?"

"I don't know, I can ask."

Carlos went inside to call Ella so that we could offer that as an option before I called Val and Mary Lou.

Carlos came back a few minutes later smiling brightly. All 200-watts.

"Ella and Luis will come here and play lifeguard and babysitters. They said to just bring the kids and they'd keep an eye on them so Mary Lou and Valerie can enjoy their day."

"They would really do this for us?"

"Yeah Babe. She says it's our engagement present."

"Oh…that is so sweet. Ok. Here goes, I'll call them."

I called Mary Lou first. Lenny answered and I heard their boys fighting in the background. Maybe this wasn't a good time to call.

"Hi Lenny. It's Steph. Am I calling at a bad time?" I put the phone on speaker so Carlos could hear what he was getting into if they came over.

"No it's ok. Evan just stepped on the dog and when the dog howled, Ben and Carlton howled too. We're just getting back to normal. Hold on a second, let me get Mary Lou."

I heard Mary Lou comforting her youngest, Ben. I guessed Lenny took him from her and she was able to come to the phone unencumbered.

"Hey Steph, what's up?"

"I know this is last minute, but we opened the pool this week since it's been so hot. We invited Carlos' sisters and brother over for the day tomorrow and just wondered if you're free. And if you are, would you like to come out?"

"I told you before. Just let me know when and we'll be there. I think I can leave the kids with Lenny's mom. Uh, you don't want them do you?"

"If you can't find a babysitter, you can bring them. Ella said she'd babysit and lifeguard."

"You sure? You know my kids, they're terrors. Does she know what she's getting into?"

"Probably not," I laughed.

"Ok. If my mother-in-law can't take them, we'll bring them. What time?"

"Early afternoon. We have enough food for an army, so don't eat first."

"This will be fun. Thanks for inviting us. Can you email me directions?"

"Yes. I'll send them as soon as I call Val?"

"Valerie's coming too?"

"We'll see. As I said, this is very last minute. We didn't know we'd be able to open the pool on such short notice, but Carlos performed some kind of miracle."

"Ok, see you tomorrow. Around one?"

"That's good."

One down. One to go. While I was on a roll, I called Valerie. I thought the phone was going to go to voicemail, but at the last second, Albert picked up.

"Hi Albert. It's Steph. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No we're good. We just put the kids to bed and we were out on the porch. Hold on, let me get Val."

"Hi Steph, what's up?"

I went through the same story with Val that I gave Mary Lou. A little bit of a white lie, but not too much. So what if I left out that we invited Carlos' family last week.

"I think I can leave Mary Alice and Angie with mom. Is it ok if I bring Alexa and Lisa?"

"Sure. I told you, Ella will babysit. She's wonderful with kids. If mom can't take the girls for the afternoon, you can bring everyone. It's really ok."

"Alright. We'll see you tomorrow. Can you email us directions?"

That done, I turned to Carlos. "Well, we'll either have seven kids or two. Do you know if any of your sisters or bother are bringing theirs?"

"No. I left it open. It doesn't matter. Ella and Luis can watch them. Luis coaches softball, so if the boys get too rambunctious, he can take them down to the beach and they can throw a ball around. I think I saw a volleyball in one of the boxes from Ella. I bet there's a net too. She probably packed it for us, but if the kids want to play we can bend the rules."

"Carlos, thank you."

"I'm just being selfish Babe. I want everyone to know that the most wonderful woman in the world has agreed to be my wife."

It seemed like this Friday the thirteenth turned into a pretty good day. Well, except for the Courts Martial, but I still had hopes of Devon making that go away.

We woke up Saturday morning to bright sunshine streaming through the windows. Carlos was draped over me, his long leg over mine, his hand resting on my breast. It felt really good, like we belonged together.

"Mmmm, Babe. I'd say we stay in bed and play for a few hours, but it's 7:30. We have things to do before our guests arrive."

"Seven-thirty? You missed your workout. What happened to 5 am?"

"I've been to the gym already. I worked out for an hour and a half. I showered and shaved in the gym so I wouldn't wake you and I just came back to bed."

Mr. Perfect. Couldn't he even miss a day?

"Do I smell coffee too? Oh, I love you. You know you spoil me?"

"I'll spoil you more tomorrow. We have the whole day to ourselves to just play. I spoke with Tank before and I invited him and Lula out to the house too. I hope that's ok with you?"

"Sure. It's always great to see them. She said they bought a house on Lake Como, do you know when they're moving in?"

"I think the current owners are moving out next weekend. They didn't have to deal with banks, Tank paid cash for the place, so they'll probably move in right away. It'll be nice to have friends nearby this summer."

"Are they keeping Tank's place in Trenton? I forgot to ask Lula."

"I think so. This is really too far of a commute for everyday. I think he was just planning on finding a larger space in Trenton but once they started looking they found this house on the lake. I understand it's beautiful. I'm sure they'll have us over as soon as they move in."

"Lula said they bought a boat?"

"Yeah, it's a catamaran like what they had on Turks and Caicos. They're good for each other. I've never seen Tank so happy. Come on Babe, let's get up. We want to call Julie before her soccer practice."

I took my time in the shower. Obviously I was wearing a bathing suit today, so I had to take extra special care to make sure I got rid of all the unwanted hair. I lathered up with sunscreen too so I wouldn't have to do that later. I got my hair to behave and went out to have breakfast with Carlos.

He had two placemats set up on the table on the deck. Once he heard me coming into the kitchen, he started bringing things out. Coffee cups, plates, saucers, butter and assorted jams and jellies. I wondered what he was up to.

"Let's eat outside, it's a nice morning."

"Did you make something special?"

"Ella packed enough for a small army. There are bagels and breakfast rolls and she made three frittatas. I'm heating up a couple of pieces from one of the frittatas and I put a bagel and a breakfast role in the oven to toast."

Wow. Maybe I'd have to go to the gym too. After all this breakfast I'd need to burn off some calories so I'd have room for lunch.

Ella's frittatas are to die for. The one Carlos heated up was a spinach and mushroom. Heaven. The breakfast roll was fabulous too. With just a little butter and some strawberry preserves, yum. I'd definitely have to go to the gym. But first we needed to clean up and call Julie.

I brought the dishes in, cleaned the table and put away the jams and butter while Carlos got Julie's number. We called her on speaker so we could both talk to her at the same time.

"Hi dad," she answered. "Didn't think I'd hear from you until I saw you next week. We're still on, right?"

"Yes Julie, were still on. I'm here with Stephanie…"

"Hi Julie," I interrupted.

"Hi Steph."

"…and we have some news for you."

"I'm having a baby brother or sister?" she asked excitedly.

"No, not quite. I asked Stephanie to marry me, and she's accepted."

"Yay." The sound of that 'yay' was loud enough to hear from Florida to here without the aid of a telephone. I guessed Julie was excited.

"Mom, dad, Ranger and Stephanie are getting married," she yelled into the phone practically killing off any auditory nerves that were still left after my mother's outburst. I hoped our announcement later in the day wouldn't be so loud.

That taken care of, I did a three-mile run at the gym. I also did some of the light weight exercises that Carlos had been showing me. Unfortunately, I needed another shower. This 90° weather in April was a killer. After showering and doing my hair again, I was ready to meet his family.

Tank, Lula, Brett and Lauren were the first to arrive, having car-pooled together from Trenton. We put them to work setting up some umbrellas around the pool and helping us put out napkins and utensils. Lauren looked even better than the last time I saw her. Her hair had grown out even more and she had had it cut so it fell into soft bangs and what almost looked like a grown-out pixie cut. It made her look really pretty and feminine.

Mary Lou, Lenny and the boys showed up next. I guessed her mother-in-law couldn't watch the kids last minute. It would be ok. I just hoped Ella and Luis would get here soon, so Luis could distract them with a game of softball or something. Mary Lou noticed my ring as soon as she pulled me into a hug. I gave her the universal shhh sign and she just nodded and smiled.

Carlos' brother Alex, his twins Derek and Dylan and his daughter Ava were the next to arrive. After introductions all around, the boys found one another and went off to create havoc outside. Now we'd minimally have eight kids running around. Thank God Carlos recruited Ella and Luis for babysitting.

My sister and her brood arrived at the same time as Daria and Eric. I guessed my mom had a beauty parlor appointment or some other plans as all four girls were with them. That upped the kids to ten. I hoped that wasn't nine too many for Ella.

Celia and Rob and Izzy and her new boyfriend James came together and shortly after they arrived Lester and some beautiful redhead named Autumn showed up followed by Ella and Luis with more food. I didn't know Les was coming, but I was happy to see him and with all these extra people I was really happy that Ella brought another large box of goodies. "For the kids," she said.

We went around and introduced everyone. The kids made friends immediately and the only clingy ones were Lisa who thankfully wasn't screaming today and baby Alexa who was too small to play with the other children.

I felt sorry for my sister who looked like she had the night from hell, so I took Lisa from her and carried her around on my hip until she was giggling and coming out of her shell. Then I passed her over to Angie and Carlos' niece Ava who actually knew each other from summer camp last year. Small world.

The boys were in the pool playing some kind of baseball trivia swim game as was Luis, Carlos' brother Alex and his sister Izzy when Carlos came out with champagne.

"I have an announcement to make," he said trying to be heard over the chaos of kids' voices. Between Ella and Luis, Brett, Tank and Lula we got the place quiet enough for Carlos to try to talk again.

"Thank you all for coming out last minute. The reason for this little get-together is two-fold. I wanted Stephanie to meet you all before Maddie's party. And most importantly, I asked Stephanie to marry me, and she's accepted. So please join us in a toast to our engagement."

There was a round of applause and a loud piercing whistle, which I knew was from Lester and then people started hugging me. Someone put a glass of champagne in my hand and I felt Carlos come up behind me and kiss my neck, his lips cold from the champagne. He clinked glasses with me, then pulled me in for kiss, which wasn't lost on our audience. Someone started tapping on his champagne glass with silverware and pretty soon we had a chorus of 'more', which of course Carlos obliged by pulling me in for another kiss.

My sister and her ever-companion Alexa came over with tears in her eyes to give me a big hug. "I'm so happy for you Steph. Congratulations. Do mom and dad know yet?"

"Thank you. Yes. We called them on Thursday and sent them pictures from the park where Carlos proposed. With of course, pictures of the ring."

"Do you have them? Pass them around."

"I'll show you later, but this is my ring," I said, letting the light play off Carlos' declaration of love.

"This is a gorgeous ring. Oh my God."

Mary Lou came over to hug me and look at my ring closer too. Then Celia, Daria, Izzy and Lauren descended on me. Lester came over with Autumn, who really was a knockout, while Lula and Ella brought up the rear. So many loving people, and everyone was so happy for us.

I was definitely in overwhelm and when I got like that there was only one thing to do. Eat.

"Please everyone," I said. "Help yourself, we have so much food and Brett and Tank have offered up their services at the barbecue. There are hamburgers and hotdogs and corn on the cob at the grill. Please eat."

Everyone seemed to have a great time. After we ate the adults played volleyball on the beach and Ella, Luis, Lenny and Albert got the kids involved in a softball game in our driveway. Thank God we had bulletproof glass over the garage. I think more than once someone hit a foul ball up there. You know, if a bullet can't shatter it what harm can a six-year-old with a good arm do?

I don't know where the engagement cake came from, it wasn't in the refrigerator last night when we unpacked the boxes, but amazingly one showed up now. And it was beautiful. The cake was styled after a Tiffany's engagement ring box. It was made with light blue fondant icing and a white fondant bow. It was sitting on top of a simple white card that read 'Congratulations Stephanie and Carlos' written in a beautiful script.

I took about thirty pictures of it. And the more pictures I took, the more I couldn't figure out where it came from. I found Ella playing dolls with my nieces and Ava and pulled her aside to ask her.

"Oh Dear, didn't Lester tell you? Autumn is a pastry chef. She made it for you and Carlos. Lester told her your ring came from Tiffany's and she came up with this on her own. She did a really nice job. It's a beautiful cake."

Mystery solved. "Thank you Ella. I have to find her and thank her. Wow. What a lovely thing to do. And she doesn't even know us."

"Yeah, but I think she's hot on Lester," Ella winked.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 44 _On the Fence_

Our party was a success. And as much as we had wanted to spend Sunday by ourselves we invited Tank and Lula and Brett and Lauren to stay over as they helped us clean up after everyone else left, and at 1 am Trenton seemed a long way off. At least with the way this house was situated everyone could have their own space. We gave Tank and Lula the large second bedroom at the other end of the house that they had used before and we gave Lauren and Brett the apartment over the garage. Like I said, everyone had their own wing.

I woke up at nine to the sound of the ocean and I realized that the windows in the bedroom were open. Carlos wasn't in bed with me, so after washing up and throwing on some clothes suitable for company, I went off to find everyone. I pretty much knew I could find Lula in the gym and there was a good chance Carlos, Tank and Brett would be there too.

What I didn't expect to find were Brett and Lauren fencing. I guessed I vaguely remembered seeing fencing masks, jackets and swords hanging on the walls, but I thought they were just for ornamentation. It was actually very pretty to watch them. They were both so graceful and seemed to know what they were doing. And since Lauren was Carlos' sister, she had probably inherited that same exercise gene. Tank, Carlos and Lula were watching from the sidelines and beckoned me over to join them out of the way.

"Do they know what they are doing?" I whispered to Carlos after kissing him good morning.

"My sister made the Nationals in 2000, she's really very good. And I guess Brett's had some lessons, he's playing well against her. These are her masks, jackets, swords and gloves. She had no place to keep them and Jen hated the idea that she fenced, so I had everything stored at Rangeman. When I turned this room into a gym, I thought they'd make nice wall ornaments. I never expected to find them using them this morning."

I heard Brett say 'touché' and they both put their sabers down and lifted their masks.

"Who won?" I asked Carlos.

"Lauren. Touché means 'I have been touched' as in wounded. Fencing is an honorable sport and you must openly acknowledge being wounded for your opponent to win. I told you, she's very good."

"How long have they been doing this? Were they at it when you came in?" I asked Lula after Carlos walked over to his sister and Brett.

"Tank and I have been here since seven. We were just finishing up when they got here. I'd say they've been going at it for about forty minutes. It seems like a bout only lasts a few minutes but they've been doing a lot of them. Ranger came in about ten minutes ago I guess he heard the clank of the swords or something and came up to watch."

"They looked really good, didn't they?"

"Yeah, I never saw anyone fence before. Well on TV I did, but not up close. It seems intense."

"He said she made the Nationals in 2000. I wonder if thirty is too old to get back into it?"

"Thirty isn't too old," Carlos said, coming back over to join us, "but I think she's a little out of practice. Jen wouldn't let her keep up with the sport. I guess if she wanted to she could get a coach and see where that would lead. I'm sure Brett would support her."

"Did he take lessons?" I asked wondering how he knew this elite sport too.

"I just asked the same thing. He said he trained in college and hasn't fenced since. I thought he did really well."

"Hey, while I have you all here, I have a question." I wanted to ask what had been on my mind since last night. "What did you guys think of Autumn, the woman Les brought over yesterday?"

Lula answered first. "I liked her but I can see problems already. She'll challenge Lester, she's not going to sit back and just take his shit."

Having changed out of their fencing gear, Brett and Lauren walked over to us, I guessed hearing my question. Lauren spoke up. "Brett and I were sitting with them for a while last night. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York. She's been making and selling her cakes to all the top restaurants and catering halls around Trenton. She seems to have a bit of a following. And I think she really likes Lester."

"She's a striking woman," said Brett, who had just put the fencing gear back on the pegs on the wall. "Lester will probably dump her. He really doesn't know when he has it good."

"I didn't get a chance to talk to her very much, but she made us an that engagement cake. That was a really, really nice thing to do. I did thank her and she seemed quite humble. I liked her."

"I was talking to her before they left last night," Carlos said. "She's had her work featured on the Food Network and was just offered a job at the Four Seasons. She's trying to work out a deal with them because she doesn't want to move to New York full-time. I think you're right Lauren, I think she really does like Santos. He likes his arm-charms though so I'm not too sure what will happen. I'm surprised he brought her to meet everyone. Maybe he's finally met someone he likes enough to date more than once. She's a very beautiful woman."

"Well since I'm the only one who hasn't put their two cents in yet," Tank began, "I'd like to say that I think she'd be good for Lester. She's not his typical adornment and she doesn't seem like the type of woman who would want to be thought of that way. He's going to have his hands full. I just hope she doesn't get her heart broken."

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about too," I said. "She gave Ella her card, so at least we know how to get in touch with…"

Carlos broke in before I had a chance to finish my sentence. "Stephanie, don't go there. Leave them alone. Please don't interfere."

"I was going to say, we know how to get in touch with her if we want her to design a cake for any upcoming events. I have no intention of butting in." Yes I did, but Carlos was right, I needed to leave them alone and let them work things out for themselves…or not.

"Why don't we all meet back in the kitchen in about a half an hour and I'll make breakfast for everyone," Carlos suggested. "And you are more than welcome to stay here today and enjoy the beach or the pool. It's a beautiful day. I guess we all have to head back to Trenton tonight though. Tank and I have reserved a jet for a 6 am flight out of Trenton-Mercer and Stephanie and Lula start their certification course in the morning."

I was excited about the course, but I wasn't too excited about Carlos and Tank's arraignment in DC tomorrow. Briggs was unpredictable. Well no, actually he was _very_ predictable. He wanted Carlos and Tank in jail. I was just afraid he wouldn't live up to his word and he would keep them after the arraignment. It seemed like that bastard was capable of anything. To get my mind off of this horrible thought I offered to help Carlos make breakfast for everyone.

I knew Tank and Lula were only eating egg-white omelets or other low-cholesterol breakfast foods, so I suggested to Carlos that we make egg-white omelets for everyone. We had mushrooms and spinach and low-fat cheese and the whole grain breakfast rolls that Ella had made on Friday, which we froze. I'm sure Brett and Lauren wouldn't mind a little healthy eating and I ate so many bad things over the last few days that something that was actually good for me sounded pretty ok.

After breakfast we each went our separate ways for a few hours. Tank and Lula went to see if their house on Lake Como had been vacated yet, Brett and Lauren borrowed the Cayenne to take a ride into town and Carlos and I went for a walk on the beach. It really was a lovely day, still very, very warm for April, so to cool off I tried dipping my feet in the ocean. Bad idea. The water was ice cold and I felt a chill make it's way up my entire body.

Carlos saw me shiver and put his arm around me. "Babe are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. I'm just really nervous about your Article 32 tomorrow. Can Colonel Briggs go back on what he told Devon? Can he just lock you away tomorrow when you show up for the arraignment?"

"He can try, but we really don't think he'll be able to. It seems like the tribunal, that's the military judge and the other three members who are trying us, are predisposed to be on our side."

"And that means you'll be acquitted?" I asked hopefully.

"No, not necessarily. They just aren't big fans of Briggs. We are on the docket for a trial beginning May 8th. That means he's gathered enough information to bring us to trial. Whether we'll have to serve the three months that minimally Briggs is asking for is yet to be decided. Tomorrow is just Briggs stating his case to the judge and the tribunal. It's him showing that he has enough evidence for a trial."

"And does he?"

"Rangeman, under Tank's orders, got me out of Somalia. According to Briggs, leaving with them instead of waiting for certain death was disobeying a direct order and deserting. And when you and I spent those three weeks changing names and hiding out while we were waiting for McHugh to make the charges disappear, I was considered AWOL. They have enough evidence. But we have just as much to state our case."

"And your case is that if you waited for the second army helicopter to get in and get you out, you'd be dead?'

"More or less. Babe, should we head back?"

I knew he was changing the subject and clamming up, so I just nodded and we turned around to head back to the house. Carlos cell phone buzzed shortly after we did our 360º. I could tell from the guarded way he was talking that it was either business that I wasn't supposed to be privy too, or else it was Devon.

"Carlos, I can go down by the water, take your call," I said and broke away from him to listen to the waves lap against the rocks by the shore.

I sat down in the sand and started to build a fortress. Hopefully one that would shield me from all the unpleasantness yet to come; his trial, my mother and the unrelenting gossip of the 'Burg if he had to serve time and even Joe Morelli, who I owed a phone call to. I don't know why I felt I had to tell Joe about my engagement, but I knew I had to do it. I thought I'd call him tomorrow if we had a break during our course. I wanted to call Connie too. I suddenly felt bad that we hadn't invited her to our party yesterday. I didn't want her to be singled out because she was single. That wasn't right and I never did things like that before. Maybe I shouldn't wait. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called her, hopefully she wasn't still at church.

Connie answered on the second ring and I could hear organ music in the background.

"Connie it's Steph. Are you at church?"

"Mass is over, I'm just waiting for my mother to come out. She's talking to Father Francis. What's up?"

"I didn't want you to hear the news from any gossipers. Carlos and I got engaged over the weekend." Well technically it was Thursday, but I didn't want her to think I waited that long to call her.

"Congratulations. I'm so happy for you. Do you have a date set or are you living a life like Lula: carefree and coital."

"Yeah, we're going for the carefree and coital. Did you make that up? That's funny."

"I think I made it up, who knows, I could have heard it before and just borrowed it. So tell me, where did he propose and do you have a ring?"

"He proposed on Monet's bridge," there was no point in telling her that that was the second time, "at Grounds for Sculpture."

"Oh I hear it's lovely there."

"It is, wait…I have the picture that we sent to my parents, I'll text it to you. I'll text you the ring too. Hold on a second."

I found the pictures and texted them to Connie. At least I was sharing these only with her; I didn't show them to anyone at the party.

"What a gorgeous ring, Oh my God. That man must have spent a small fortune on that ring." She paused while she studied the other picture. "The bridge is very pretty, very romantic. Who would have thought Ranger was so sentimental."

"Yeah, I know. Not what you think of when you see him dressed all in black and you know that he's carrying two guns and a knife. But he is," I smiled to myself.

Carlos put his phone back in his pocket and started to walk down to me at the water's edge.

"Connie, I'm on the beach and I can't hear you very well. I'll call you tomorrow after Lula and I start our training. Ok?" I fibbed a little, not wanting Carlos to hear me talking about him being a romantic. I didn't think he'd like that image slipped to the outside world.

"Sure Steph. And congratulations. Thanks for calling me."

"Ok, talk to you tomorrow."

"Babe. Sorry, that was Bobby."

"That's ok Carlos, I know there are things you can't tell me."

"Kraven's mother filed a missing person's report on her son this morning. We still have him in custody at Rangeman. We're going to have to ship him off for an unpleasant visit with his 'friends' before the police come snooping around. I had hoped we'd get a little more information out of him first, but tonight he's taking a trip to Philly. The Philadelphia Mafia are very interested in 'talking' to him. Seems he beat them out of a lot of money."

"Do I want to know this Carlos? What if the police talk to me? I was the last person to see him, that they know of…I think."

"We'll make sure he's seen in and around Philly before he's never seen again. A couple of contract guys are on their way to Rangeman now."

"Carlos, I'm a bad liar."

"I'm not asking you to lie Babe. The scent will be in another direction. No one will ask you any more questions about him. At least not about this."

"What if they make me take a lie detector test?"

"Babe, I just thought you might want to know…'no secrets', remember?"

"I'm sorry. I'm actually still melting down about tomorrow. I appreciate you being so honest with me. Carlos, I love you so much. I just don't know what's going to happen and it scares me."

"I love you too Babe. No matter what happens, you just have to remember how much I love you." And then he pulled me to him and kissed me.

He kept running his finger over the ring on my left hand as we walked back to the house. Although he didn't say anything, I could tell he was nervous too. And in deep thought.

"Babe," he finally said, breaking the silence, "remember, I gave you iris recognition access to my safe?"

"Yes, it's the same approach as getting into this house."

"I'd really like you to take a look at some of the papers I have in there."

"Why Carlos? I don't want to intrude on your privacy."

"No secrets Babe, remember? There are things about me in there that I want you to see. Some things you'll find complimentary, some are not so nice. But it's all me and I want you to know what you're really getting into."

"Carlos, I don't care what you've done in your past. I love who you are now and that's all I care about. I know you were with the Army Rangers and I'm sure it wasn't hearts and flowers. And I know your government contract work was anything but easy. I understand about 'doing what you have to do', honestly I do. But if you want me to look through the papers in your safe, then I will."

"Can you look tomorrow when we're in DC? I'd rather you know some of the things Briggs may dig up from my past to help his case."

"I thought you said the arraignment will only take a few hours? Won't it take me quite a while to go through that box of papers you showed me?"

"The Article 32 itself should only take a few hours. We're scheduled to start at 8am…I should be done by 11. And we have a 12 o'clock NetJets flight back to Trenton. It's a corporate flight, they'll wait if they have to. I should be home by one, two the latest. As far as the papers go, the more positive stuff is on top; you'll just need to skim through that to get to what I want you to see."

"How bad can it be? Have you killed women and children? And even if you did, I'm sure there was good reason for it or you would have stood your ground."

"This is the military. You don't stand your ground. You have an order and you're expected to carry it out. No questions asked. Please Babe. I'm leaving at 5:15 tomorrow morning. Your class doesn't start until nine. I'd really like for you to give it an hour. For me. For us."

"Yes, I promise to look at your papers while you're in DC. And I'm sorry I'm being so argumentative today, I'm not sure what's come over me."

"It's ok Babe. I know that I just added to your stress level, but once you know what they can bring up against me, I'll feel better. And since I have no desire to re-live some of the things I've been through, I'd prefer that you read them."

"I understand." I didn't really, but this conversation was getting uncomfortable and I felt like we needed to move on.

"Thank you Babe," he said, and he pulled me to him. He kissed me so tenderly I thought I was going to cry. A kiss like the one he gave me told me more than any declaration of love could ever do. This man loved me with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his being.

When we got back to the house Lula and Tank were out by the front gate waiting for us to let them in. I forgot we had such high levels of security in place or I wouldn't have suggested the beach walk. They didn't seem phased by it in the least as they were leaning against their car and kissing. Had I not walked by the video feed I would have never even knew they were there. I hit the talk button on the gate access and nearly scared the shit out of them. I really didn't mean to do that, I just wanted to let them know we were home and let them in.

"I'm really sorry guys. I hope you weren't waiting too long," I said, buzzing them in.

About ten minutes after Tank and Lula got back the gate buzzed again, this time scaring the shit out of me, who happened to be standing right in front of the speaker in the kitchen, thinking about lunch. I didn't have to think too long though, as I caught sight of Brett carrying two pizza boxes back to the house from the garage. Yes, someone else was on my food wavelength.

After lunch we all hung out by the pool and got a little sun. Tank, Lula, Carlos and Brett were swimming laps and hanging out in the water. I still couldn't go in, but I didn't really want to share why with everyone, although Lula and Tank knew. I was glad when Lauren told Brett she just didn't feel like having to take another shower and was going to stay in her lounge chair and nap. At least I had someone to talk to.

The rest of the day was quiet. It was comfortable just hanging out with Lula, Lauren, Tank and Brett. It felt like family. It actually felt more comfortable than spending a Sunday with my family. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Trenton.

We packed up most of the leftover food and made care packages for everyone. I didn't think frittatas or pasta salads would last a week and I knew Carlos would forbid hamburgers and hot dogs in our refrigerator at Rangeman. Lauren and Brett were more than happy to take just about everything. Lula took a dozen eggs and a large head of Romaine. Is that really all she ate?

Carlos and I stopped off at the Mediterranean place in Ewing for some dinner. He just didn't want party food for a second day in a row and it would give us a chance to unwind alone. We got a table in the garden, and Carlos ordered a bottle of Greek wine. It was a very romantic setting even though we weren't the only ones in the garden like we were the last time. Carlos held my hand and kissed it often. He whispered naughty things in my ear and he promised me he'd show me how much he loved me when we got home. I was going to hold him to it.

We were home by nine and after putting away the things we brought back with us from the beach house, we retreated to the bedroom. Carlos took a shower while I brushed my teeth, washed my face and moisturized. I knew whatever I put on was going to be off shortly, so I just put on one of Carlos' T-shirts and a lacy thong. I laid down on the bed and waited for him to get out of the shower. I didn't expect him to walk out in all his naked goodness, but I was happy that he did. I wanted to run my tongue over his muscular chest and grab that perfect ass. God he turned me on.

"See something you like Babe?" Carlos asked, noticing that I was staring.

"Just everything. Come here."

He closed the space between us in two steps and joined me on the bed. Then he kissed me. Our tongues touched and I pulled him to me. He stripped his T-shirt off of me in one move and he kissed me again. Mmmm, it felt so good to press against him, naked chest to naked chest.

I heard our landline phone ringing in his office and simultaneously in the kitchen. I moved to get up to take the call.

"Let it go Babe," he said pulling me closer and kissing me behind my ear. Boy could he distract me. I had just wrapped my leg around him when his cell phone started to buzz.

"Carlos, I think you should take that, someone is trying to get in touch with you."

He disentangled from me and reached over to pick up his phone. "Yo?"

Someone on the other end said something I couldn't hear and I saw him switch into corporate mode. "And when did this happen?"

"Ok, I'll be right down." So much for our romantic evening.

"Carlos, what's the matter?" I asked once he had hung up.

"Our contract men were bringing Kraven to Philly this evening. Three men with automatic weapons hijacked their car on the Camden-side of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Our guys were pistol whipped to within an inch of their lives and Kraven's gone."

"Oh shit."

"Stay here Babe. Bobby and Santos are heading to Philly to see Mercer and Bower in the hospital and try to get some information. Hank and Hal are in the control room, I want to see if we can pull up something from the video feed in the car. See if he said anything, gave anything away."

"I'm coming with you," I said pulling a bra from my dresser and putting it on. "I'm good at reading people. I want to see his body language."

We dressed quickly and went down to five to see if we could be of any help.

We weren't very successful with the video feed as it was only recording from the neck up. Bobby and Lester were going to spend the night in Philly. Bower and Mercer were still unconscious and they wanted to talk to them when they woke up, so there was nothing we could do.

By the time we came back up it was after one. Carlos needed to get up by 4:30 and leave by 5:15, so we both fell into bed exhausted.

A/N: We are getting near the end, just a few more chapters to go. I've been asked (God bless you Margaret) if I thought about writing a sequel. I have, and I have notes for two additional stories following through on this one. Let me know what you think. And suggestions are always welcome. :) Elaine


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

I'm trying to tie up the loose ends and bring this story to a conclusion. Why didn't you guys tell me it's harder to get out than it is to get in?

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 45 _Safe_

I woke up to Carlos kissing my hairline. "I have to go Babe," I heard through my fog. I opened my eyes enough to see Carlos dressed in a suit and tie, jacket draped over his arm. He looked really handsome. "I'll see you this afternoon," he said and kissed me on my lips. "Please take a look at the papers in the safe."

"I will Carlos. Have a safe trip. Text me when you're out so I won't worry."

"I will." He kissed me again, squeezed my hand and left. I heard the front door close quietly behind him.

The alarm was set for six because I promised Carlos I'd take a look at the papers in the strongbox and I didn't want to be late for my first day of class, even though I just had to go down three flights of stairs to attend. When it went off, I really felt like going back to sleep for at least another hour, but a promise is a promise, so I got up. I showered, did my hair and put on some mascara.

I knew I could always call Ella and she'd bring me up anything I wanted for breakfast, but all I felt like were coffee and maybe a little piece of the leftover frittata. I didn't think it would still be good after today and it tasted too good to just throw out.

So I made myself some coffee and while it dripped I went over to the walk-in closet in our bedroom. I pressed the panel on the side of the door to reveal Carlos' safe. I stood in front of the scanner for the iris recognition and when I heard it beep, I entered my passcode: R-A-N-G-E-W-O-M-A-N. I turned the dial to the right and I heard the safe click. It opened.

The first thing I noticed were two blue Tiffany boxes. Our wedding rings. I opened the boxes just to take a peek. And I started to tear up. I took mine out and removed my engagement ring to try it on. I put my engagement ring back and looked down at my hand. Mrs. Carlos Manoso. I took Carlos' ring out of the other box and put it on the thumb of my right hand. I joined my right thumb to my left ring finger and I just looked at the contrasts and similarities. Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Manoso. The tears were welling in my eyes again. I was getting way too sentimental.

This was our someday and it wasn't what I was supposed to be doing in the safe. I put the rings back where I found them and moved on to my purpose for being here, the black metal strongbox.

I opened the box. On top was an official looking document. It was labeled DD214. I started to read it and realized it was Carlos' discharge papers from the army. It had his dates of service listed from September of 1998 through April of 2007. Almost nine years.

I read down further. It listed Battles and Campaigns. It said Carlos was in Rwanda, Angola, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. The next section was called Decorations and Citations. It listed two Purple Hearts, a Medal of Honor, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star. This wasn't what he wanted me to see but it was interesting to read. I didn't know he spent time in Africa. I assumed all of his service was in the Middle East.

Under this were newspaper articles and official looking papers. There was one paper called the _Military Order of the Purple Heart_ and under the cover was a story about Captain R. Carlos Manoso and how twice he was wounded in battle but made sure he got all his men to safety before yielding to his considerable wounds. I didn't want to read anymore. I didn't want to know what kinds of wounds Carlos suffered.

I closed this paper and looked through the pile further. There was about a ten-page typed report called _The Modern Battlefield_ by Capt. R. Carlos Manoso. I looked through it, but didn't understand much of what it said. Army babble, I assumed.

Ok, to me these were all the positive things, and I'd bring these up if I were Devon. I dug further. I found one of the bad things.

It was a newspaper clipping from April 4, 2003. It was titled _Operation Iraq Freedom_. It said that Carlos led a covert, mixed-branch airdrop into the northern city of Kirkuk to begin the invasion. The Iraqi military was quickly defeated but the men were so filled with hate and testosterone that they attacked and captured hundreds of locals, including non-military men, women and children. Captain Manoso was unable to control his forces and called for backups. The torture, raping and mutilations were unprecedented and although Capt. Manoso did not participate in any of the attacks he was deemed responsible. It almost cost him his career.

Shit. I didn't think I needed to read anymore. But I promised Carlos I would look through this box and I was only three quarters of the way through it. I continued.

I found another article dated September 23, 2002. One year and twelve days after the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. It said that Capt. R. Carlos Manoso had Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the organizer of the Sept 11th attacks, in custody from April through June of 2001, but was forced to let him go because of a Saudi Al-Qaeda relationship that had a direct line to the Pentagon. Sheikh Mohammed snuck into the US under an assumed identity after his release and formulated his plan. He enlisted nineteen hijackers and took control of four commercial airliners and I couldn't read anymore. If someone wanted to turn this information around they could say that in effect Carlos was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Oh my God.

Now I knew why he wanted me to go through this box. I sat there, unable to move for another five minutes. Carlos was a good man; he would not have done this unless he was forced to. I knew this with all my heart and obviously the military did too or his career would have been over long before 2007. And he would not have been honorably discharged or brought back for government contract work.

Fuck Colonel Briggs and fuck his fucking Courts Martial.

I put everything back into the strongbox and closed it. I opened our Tiffany ring boxes again and kissed both rings. I took Carlos' out, held it between my thumb and forefinger and brought it to my lips in a moment of introspect. I loved Carlos and this information did nothing to change that. I put our rings back and closed his safe. His deep, dark secrets were safe with me.

I looked at the time and realized I spent an hour and a half going through the contents of the safe. It was 8:05 and I had an hour before class began. I took the remains of the frittata out of the refrigerator and cut myself a wedge. I put it into the microwave to get the chill out while I fixed myself some coffee. I knew Carlos couldn't take any calls during the Article 32 and that his phone would probably be turned off, but I wanted him to know that I went through the safe.

I picked up my phone to text him and saw that there was an incoming text for me. It was from Carlos at 7:12 am. This was while I was reading his papers. Ironic? Anyway it just said, 'We arrived. I love you. C-'.

I texted him back. 'I love U 2. UR secrets are safe with me. 3 S-.'

I sipped my coffee and nibbled on my frittata, deep in thought. I wondered if Les and Bobby were able to get any information out of the contract guys. I wondered how Kraven pulled off his escape. I knew Rangeman would have done a thorough search of him and confiscated anything that he could have used to contact the outside world. And mostly I wondered how Carlos was doing.

It was 8:52 and I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer. I got my bag, my gun and my ID from the bedroom, pulled some lip gloss out of my bag and applied it. I put my ID over my head and threw everything else back into my bag. I grabbed my phone off the counter where it was charging and went downstairs.

Hector and Lula were already in the area of the gym Rangeman had set aside for our training. I joined them and moments later Bobby came into the gym with another man and walked over to us.

"This is Antonio Martinez, he'll be your certification instructor for the next three months. This afternoon Marcia Callahan will be joining him, she'll be your weapons instructor and you'll have private use of our gun range from one to three. Antonio, this is Stephanie," and I shook hands with our instructor, "Lula, and Hector."

Hector was smiling broadly after introductions were made. I knew this was because our instructor had a Spanish name and could probably speak in Hector's native language if necessary.

"Bobby? Two seconds?" I asked before he had a chance to walk away.

"Sure Steph, what's up?"

I moved us away from the others so I could ask about Kraven.

"Anything from Mercer and Bower? Have they spoken yet?"

"Les and I left Our Lady of Lourdes early this morning and they were still unconscious. Sybo and Cal are with them now. They'll be in touch as soon as they know anything. Meanwhile we are on high alert for Kraven. Unfortunately that means you and Lula are not to leave Rangeman without escorts…for any reason."

"I realized that when we got the news last night. Please let me know when you know something."

"I will." I thanked Bobby with a kiss on the cheek and re-joined my class.

Antonio handed out books and we sat down on the mats while he told us what to expect from the Fugitive Recovery Certification Course itself.

"I know you didn't expect books," he began, "but this is an accredited course and there will be tests."

I raised my hand before he went on. "Would it be possible for Hector to take the tests in Spanish?" I asked.

"Yes, he can take the tests in Spanish, but I do teach the class in English. Hector, is your English good enough for you to be able to understand me?"

"Sí, and I start English class tomorrow. I good."

"If you'd like a Spanish version of the manual, let me know and I can bring one for you tomorrow."

"For now, I good, tank you."

"Ok, just let me know." Then he turned back to all of us. "In case you were wondering, our program puts a lot of emphasis on the team approach, so I'll have you working in pairs. I'll work with the odd man out and we'll switch up as necessary. Since I understand that Steph and Lula are primarily looking for take down techniques that will keep them as safe as possible, we'll start this course there and then we'll broaden to general security enforcement.

"I'm going to tell you something I'm sure no one has told you before," he continued, "we are all programmed for forward movement. Your balance and equilibrium are more adversely affected when your vertical plane is broken in a backward direction.

There are two very easy techniques that will quickly and easily get your suspect on the ground, they are the Rear Pull Down and the Rear Pull Down with Arm Compression. These two techniques are similar. The key is to use a hand to break the suspect's vertical plane simultaneously backward and downward; gravity will do the rest.

"Just remember, where the head goes, the body will follow."

He then called Hector up so he could show us the first of these two techniques. When Hector sat back down he had me come up so I could be the guinea pig for Hector to observe. And so we all got two chances to see the technique before we tried it on each other, he had Lula come up. Since Lula had seen the technique performed twice she had already formulated a counter move in her head and tried it on him. Quick as a bunny he used a different technique and had her pinned down in under five seconds.

"And this is why you need to learn more than one technique," he said, helping her to her feet.

And so our class continued like this for the next few hours. The time sped by and before I knew it we were breaking for lunch. The first thing I did was check my phone to see if I either got a text or a call from Carlos. Since I had nothing, I asked Lula if she had heard from Tank. She checked her phone and shook her head no. We just guessed that the arraignment was taking longer than they expected. Carlos said the plane would wait, so I wasn't too worried.

We had lunch in the breakroom and I kept my phone in my pocket so I could feel it buzz if Carlos texted me. Nothing. It was now ten to one. I decided to text Carlos.

'It's 1:00, did everything go ok? Text me.'

We had to go to the firing range for the next aspect of our class. Bobby met us there with our instructor, Marcia Callahan.

After introductions, I cornered Bobby. "Bobby have you heard from Carlos, Tank or Devon? Their arraignment should have been over by eleven and it's now one."

"I haven't, but I'll call Devon while you guys are in class. It probably is just running over."

Since I knew that no matter what, they had no reason to hold Devon, I thought Bobby calling him was a good idea. If Briggs had decided to keep Tank and Carlos locked up, Devon would be free to come back to Trenton to share the news with us.

I went into class feeling better. Marcia went through the six basic fundamentals of shooting: body position, grip, sight alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze and follow through.

"Much of your classroom time will be learning the different parts of firearms, how they work, what they do and the loading and unloading procedures of each," she said, as she fitted us with eye and ear protectors and handed each of us a Sig Sauer P220, which she said was the standard of the industry. And just like I did with Carlos, we loaded and unloaded it numerous times using 'dummy' ammunition to get a feel for it.

Then we switched to live ammo. There were four shooting booths in the Rangeman gun range so we each had our own to use. Marcia set up paper dummies for us and told us to aim for the heart.

After we each emptied a clip into our paper dummy we disengaged the magazine and put our gun down. She pulled back the paper dummies for us to see how we did. Hector's was perfect. There was a three-inch hole around the heart from his numerous direct hits. Lula was all over the place, but at least all her bullets hit the paper dummy. Marcia told her she was going to need some work on her aim. She got to mine and started to laugh.

"Stephanie, you have very good aim as all your bullets hit the same spot. Unfortunately your dummy no longer has a penis."

I bit my lip before I answered her. "I just couldn't hit someone in the heart, so I aimed for the next best thing."

She had nothing to say to that.

We went through a few more clips and then she taught us how to clean our guns, which she said to do after every class. Finally we called it a day...she was going to work individually with us tomorrow. As soon as we gave back our hearing protectors and left the range I checked my iPhone for either a text or a call from Carlos. Nothing.

Ok it was now 3:00 and Carlos said he'd be back in Trenton by two the latest. Now I was worried. Marcia held Lula back to talk with her about her aim, so I couldn't even ask her if she heard from Tank. I did the next best thing and took the elevator to five and went straight to Bobby's office. Thankfully he was there, although he was on the phone.

He motioned me in, put his hand over the receiver and asked, "Is Lula with you?"

I shook my head no and when he whispered, "get her" I knew this was going to be bad.

I went back down to the range and knocked on the door. Marcia opened it. My eye's made contact with Lula's and I blurted out. "Bobby wants to talk to the both of us."

Lula grabbed her stuff, we said goodbye to Marcia and we nervously went upstairs to see Bobby. He was off the phone this time and beckoned us in.

"After I saw you I called Devon. His phone went right to voicemail, so I checked with NetJets to see if they made their flight. They took off from Ronald Reagan at ten after twelve..."

"So where are they?" I interrupted.

"They had some mechanical problems and had to make an emergency landing."

"Oh my God, are they ok?"

"The fuel line had been cut, they were very lucky the pilot was watching the fuel pressure gauge closely. They landed safely. They are ok. Their flight plan had them heading south on the downwind so they are in rural Virginia and cell service is spotty. We believe it was sabotage and they are meeting with the local police right now."

"Shit. Kraven?"

"We don't know. The pilot did a preflight check both in Trenton and again about twenty minutes before they took off from Ronald Reagan and he said all was ok then. We are checking with the ground crew to see if they saw anything suspicious. There's another NetJets plane with armed guards waiting for them now, and as soon as the police report is finalized they'll take off. I assume they'll be home by six. Lula, Tank wants you to stay with Stephanie until he gets back."

I thanked Bobby and had an idea. "I want to do some work," I said. "Lula, you said you wanted to help us. Do you still want to?"

"Yes. Did you talk it over with Hector? Am I in?"

"I didn't have a chance to speak with Hector yet. I want to show you how to run a search and while it's running, I'll find Hector."

I wanted Lula to check to see if either Kraven or Pearce had family in the DC area, or if either of them took a commercial flight down to Washington over the last 24-hours. I showed her how to access airlines records and said I'd be back to show her some more complex searches and I left her in my office.

I found Hector in his cube and knocked on the structure. "Knock, knock," I said so he'd know it was me.

"Come in Estefania, what's up?"

"I want to talk to you about Lula," then I told him about her request.

"Chica, data security not easy. I no tink Lula has what it takes. I sorry."

"What if she solely did social networking and maybe ran some searches for us? She's a good person and she'd work hard to help us," I said, stating my case.

"I ok with office work and social networking. Yes."

"Thank you Hector; Lula's going to be very happy." I told him about Carlos' sabotaged flight and the searches I was having Lula run and he said he'd join us in my office as soon as he was done catching up on a few things.

I went back to my office and found Lula with a puzzled look on her face, "What's the matter?"

"I plugged their names into the airline database, like you showed me. And although neither one of them came up, I have a Craven and a Pierce, different spellings of both names, flying together from Washington D.C. to Miami this afternoon."

"Print it out. Let's show Bobby."

Lula hit print and we walked next door to Bobby's office with the printouts in hand.

"Bobby," I said probably more sharply than I intended, causing him to look up suddenly, "I want to show you what Lula found."

Bobby agreed with us that it was just too coincidental and put in a call to our Miami office so that Rangeman could meet the plane and check out the passengers.

I went back into my office and checked out the flight. The carrier was Delta Air Lines and the flight had an hour and twenty-three minute layover in Atlanta before heading on to Miami. Seeing that there was a stopover gave me a creepy feeling. Kraven had outsmarted us before; something told me he'd do it again. I knew Carlos had sold his Atlanta office, but I wondered if we still had contacts there. The plane would be touching down in thirty-five minutes. I walked back into Bobby's office armed with this new information.

"Yes, we have contacts, and that's great thinking. I'll get on it right away."

All we could do now was wait. Wait to find out if it was indeed Kraven and Pearce on that Delta flight. And wait for Carlos and Tank to come home. It was already feeling like a long wait.

To make the time move faster, I showed Lula how to do some of the more complex searches that really revealed a lot of information. We plugged Kraven into the system to check if he had family in DC, and it turned out that he did. His sister lives there. I hated to go back into Bobby's office again. Yes I was armed with another piece of information, though it was information we should have had the first time. But fearing no one right now, I pulled up my big girl panties and marched in for the third time in under an hour.

"I'm sorry Bobby, I know we should have done all our homework before we came in here earlier, but I wanted you to know about the flight and the passenger list. This search took longer, but we came up with another possibly useful piece of information. Kraven has a sister in DC."

"We do have some contract men in Washington. I think we should see who's on that Delta flight before I send someone out to her house though."

"What if it's just coincidental that a Craven and a Pierce are flying together? What if we could have caught him and by waiting he got away again?" I stated my case as strongly as I could without demanding that Bobby send someone to check out Kraven's sister.

I felt like I had won a battle when Bobby backed down and I smiled to myself as I walked back to my office. Lula was on her cellphone, "Tankie," she said to me as my phone started to vibrate in my pocket.

I saw it was Carlos and instead of answering with a greeting I answered. "Carlos, I was so worried. God, where are you?"

"We just landed in Tetterboro to throw off any scent. One of the Hummers is picking us up. I should be home in an hour. I couldn't call, we had no service. We finally got word to Rangeman to send the Hummer via radio but we couldn't send personal messages."

"Carlos, I'm scared. He's crazy. He could have killed you."

"We're not sure it's Kraven, it could be Pearce. It could be anyone. We're keeping our eyes open. I'll see you in an hour, the Hummer's here."

A/N: We are getting near the end, just another couple of chapters to go. Yes, there's a sequel in the works. I want to thank trhodes9 for her suggestion about including the DD214. As always, suggestions, comments and reviews are most welcome. :) Elaine


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

We're getting very close to the end now; a couple more chapters at best. Thank you margret fowler, trhodes9, Tiggy318, bgrgrmpy, got2BaBabeFan, jkgk, Barb4psu, sbabe, M and others for convincing me to write a sequel.

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 46 _Putting two and two together_

I was pacing. The back and forth from the door of my office to the desk was making Lula crazy. "Girlfriend, you've got to stop with that marching. It's not getting them home any faster. Please."

I turned around to look at her, unaware that I was even doing this. I stopped in my tracks, not because Lula brought my pacing to my attention, but because Bobby was standing in my doorway. Hector was beside him.

"The Delta flight landed in Atlanta and was met by NTSB officials and two of our contract men. We scared the shit out of two elderly women, Mathilda Craven and Dorothy Pierce."

My whole body slumped, I thought for sure we had them.

"Don't feel bad, it had all the earmarkings of the real thing. We'll keep looking." He paused as if in thought. "Can you guys join me in my office? Hector has a theory that he just took me through. I'd like him to tell you what he just told me."

"Sure." Lula got out of my chair and the two of us moved next door.

After Lula settled into a chair and I scooted onto the edge of Bobby's desk, Hector turned to us.

"Someting seemed off to me from beginning. Ranger's last mission feel like set up. Helicopter shot down last minute. Ranger stranded. No government helicopter available for three days. Not good. Not how U.S. usually operates. I meet McHugh when he here before. He seem like good guy. He joke with us. I not meet Briggs, but I no like. I think Briggs had someone shoot down helicopter in Somalia. I tink Briggs had someone cut fuel line today. I tink Briggs want Ranger out of picture for some reason. I tink he want him dead. I tink if he can't make Ranger die he want him in prision for long time. I tink he has someting planning tat Ranger and Tank be able to figure out and give him away. I been gadering information on Briggs. I want you to look."

Hector had a manila file folder with him. He opened the folder and he had page after page of information on Colonel Briggs.

"Briggs," Hector continued, showing us one of his printouts, "was in Iraq same time as Ranger and Tank. I ask Ranger other day if he knew him from before. He say no, but look, this say April 2, 2003, Captain Andrew Briggs, that he then, was at Coalition Provisional Authority office in Al Hillah, Iraq. I look up Al Hillah, Iraq and find out big attack at that time. Here, read."

Hector passed around some printouts and sure enough, although much younger, the captain in charge was Briggs.

"Wait a minute," I said. "Carlos had me look through some of the papers in his safe. That timeframe sounds familiar. I think Carlos led an attack on Kirkuk, Iraq like two days later. Can we look them up and see if they are near each other?"

Bobby already had it up on his computer. Kirkuk was a few hours north of Baghdad and Al Hillah, just south.

"Do you think Briggs was involved with both? Is that where you're heading?" I asked Hector.

"I try to get information. Details sketchy. But I tink something like tat. I look up Ranger's career, and I learn about Kirkuk. I tink Briggs instigate Kirkuk. I not sure how but I tink is where their paths cross. I tink possible same men in both invasions. Al Hillah first. Kirkuk second."

"So you think it's possible that Briggs riled up the men and then when the same men invaded Kirkuk two days later they were still all jazzed up?"

"Sí, is what I tink."

Wow. "Bobby you were there too, weren't you?"

"Not for the Kirkuk invasion, but I was in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan with Ranger, Tank and Santos. That's how I met them."

"Briggs?" I asked.

"No can't say I ever heard of him."

Hector had an interesting theory. I wished we could look into it further. Maybe if we had a name of one of the guys that participated in Carlos' invasion we could check the facts with him. I know Carlos said he didn't particularly want to relive his nightmares, but he might know a name? Or I could blindly google. I wondered if Hector looked into this angle."

"Hector, we're you able to find any names of the men?"

"Sí, but not many, only men caught after Kirkuk and dishonorably discharged. No way to tell if they in Al Hillah first unless we ask."

"Lula and I can run some background checks and make some phone calls, can we get a copy of your list?"

"Sí, I hoping you get involved," he said with a huge smile.

"Well, Carlos and Tank won't be here for another half an hour, we can start running some searches now. Lula do you have your laptop with you?"

"I do but I don't have your search programs."

"Hector can you install them for Lula?"

"Sí."

"We can start the searches on my tower and laptop and once Hector updates your computer and installs the programs we can have three searches going at the same time."

Lula pulled her laptop out of her bag and gave it to Hector. He went through his manilla folder and gave me a print out of the names of the dishonorable discharges from Kirkuk. Lula and I went back to my office to start running searches.

"Steph, do you know what the Coalition Provisional Authority that Hector mentioned is? I was just wondering how Briggs was attached to that?"

"I think it's the transitional government the United Nations put into place in Iraq before the invasion, but we can look it up. The tower can multi-task."

I looked it up and I was right, but an interesting thing came up in the Wikipedia description.

"Briggs is listed," I told Lula, "but here he's a Major, and this is only one month after Al Hillah. When Hector comes back let's see what he knows. He said he was investigating him."

Hector came back with Lula's laptop about ten minutes later. "All updated and I install search programs. Do you have iPad?"

"No. Just my laptop."

"I give you iPad. If you working with us, you need apps I make."

"I'm working with you? It's ok? I'm on board?" Lula cried out and came over to hug us. "Thank you, I'm so happy."

I was planning on telling Lula but the Craven/Kraven and Pierce/Pearce name debacle came up and I got sidetracked. A slip from Hector's tongue wasn't exactly how I planned on her finding out, but she seemed ok with it.

"Hector what do you know about Briggs?" Lula asked once she'd calmed down. "His name came up in the Wiki search that Steph ran on Coalition Provisional Authority."

"He some kind of administrator. After Al Hillah he make Major. Al Hillah attack bad. No military there only villagers. Lots of children killed. I read that U.S. soldiers try to land three prop-planes six mile away in different town but get fired on by local militia and tribesman. Ten minutes later fighters drop cluster bombs on Al Hillah, kill sixty people and injure three hundred. Briggs issued order but say fighters got mix up."

I heard a little commotion in the hall and looked up to see Carlos and Tank outside of my office with Bobby. I really didn't care what the Rangeman work protocol was; I jumped up and ran to him. I threw my arms around him and kissed him, tears starting to well in my eyes. I saw Tank go to Lula through my tears, so I guessed my little spectacle wasn't totally forbidden.

"Carlos, I'm so glad you're home. I was so worried."

"Babe, it's ok. Shhh. Don't cry. I'm here. We have to talk to Bobby for a bit, but I'll meet you upstairs in twenty?"

I nodded yes and we broke apart. Tank and Carlos went behind closed doors with Bobby while I checked to see how my searches were doing. I knew it was too soon, but I checked anyway as I wanted to have something to do.

Hector and Lula were still in my office. I probably looked exactly like Lula did. It's that 'I don't know what else to do, so I'll cry' look—our men were almost killed, but they weren't and now they were home.

"Lula, are you and Tank going home tonight, or are you staying in one of the apartments here?"

"I want to go home, but I guess we'll be bringing guards with us."

"You get used to it. It'll probably be Cal and Ram. They actually are a lot of fun. Cal likes to cook, so you can let him help out in the kitchen."

"Really? Cal likes to cook?"

"Yeah, he says he likes to watch the Food Network, he's into Lidia and Rachel Ray."

"I could see him being into Rachel Ray, but don't you think Lidia's a little old for him?" she joked to lighten the mood.

I wanted to go home. I actually just wanted to go up to seven and hold Carlos for like an eternity—I was so relieved he was home. "I'm going to go upstairs. I'll just let the searches run and I'll come down and see what we've got before class tomorrow."

"Is it ok if I sit here and wait for Tank?"

"Of course. Hector you can stay too if you want. I just feel exhausted all of a sudden. It's been a long day."

"I got work to do, if you need me, text me. I here for a few hours, then I go upstairs. Or I see you tomorrow. I glad everyting turn out ok."

I took the elevator up to seven because my feet just didn't have it in them to take the stairs. It was that kind of a day.

I fobbed our door open, put my keys in the tray and my ID on top of the credenza in the foyer and blindly found my way into the living room. I threw myself down on the couch, my legs draped over of one of the arms and I started to think.

I was letting my mind wander because nothing made sense and maybe if I tried not to lead it somewhere it would lead itself. I kept coming back to the papers in Carlos' safe. I bet something was in there that could link him to Briggs. Something he didn't even know he had. I got up and went over to the bedroom—to the walk-in closet where Carlos' safe is, and opened the panel. I let the scanner scan my iris and entered my password. The safe opened.

I went right for the strongbox and opened it for the second time in one day. I glanced at the DD214 again to see if it held any clues, then I started to meticulously go through the papers and articles. I heard Carlos fob open our door and throw his keys, gun and ID down, so I called out to him.

"Carlos I'm in the bedroom, I wanted to relook through some of your papers. Did Bobby take you through Hector's theory?"

He was in the bedroom with me as I finished my question to him.

"Yes, he did. Come here Babe. I just want to hold you for a few minutes and then we can look together. I think I may know what to look for."

I got up and walked out of the closet into Carlos' arms. He was still wearing his suit and I somehow got my arms under the jacket and around his back, my face buried in his chest. It felt so good to be next to all that hard muscle. God, I could lose myself in his body. We just stood that way for a few minutes with Carlos kissing the top of my head and holding me. I didn't realize I had tears streaming down my cheeks until we broke apart and Carlos wiped them away with his fingers and kissed my lips.

"Babe. I'm so sorry that I worried you today. I was hoping you'd pick up on the mental messages I was sending you that we were Ok."

"I guess I wasn't relaxed enough to receive them. Oh God, I'm just so glad you're back and you're safe."

"Babe do you want to eat first? It's after seven. Ella can bring up dinner and we can talk. And let's close that strongbox, it seems to be sending out some ominous energy right now. We can always open it later."

"I didn't realize how hungry I was until you brought up food. I was on a one-track mission to find your connection to Briggs," I said walking over to the safe, closing the box and locking everything.

Carlos called Ella on the intercom and she said she'd be up in about fifteen minutes. Carlos then went to change out of his suit. I guessed he took a quick shower too because when he came out his hair was damp and he smelled really yummy. I never understood how someone could take a two-minute shower.

Carlos opened a bottle of wine while we waited for Ella.

"I think I ran across Briggs in Rwanda," he started, after pouring us both a glass of some very expensive red. "U.S. special forces were brought in during the 2nd Congo War. It was a civil war and we were supposed to train their military. I guess we did; only we trained both sides. I think he was already stationed there as part of the U.S. military in support of the Kabila regime. My unit was brought in to train the rebels. I guess we were at odds, and yet we were both American soldiers doing our jobs. I'm pretty sure I know who he is now. He came up to our unit as Tank and I were getting our men off the plane. He looked me in the eye and called me a traitor."

"Oh my God. Do you have any proof that it was him?"

"I don't know. We can go through the strongbox together after dinner. I'd also like to see what Hector's come up with. Bobby said he had a whole file-folder's-worth of information."

"Why don't we invite him up for dinner. He always seems so alone, I don't think he goes out to eat with the other guys too often."

"Call him if you want, Ella always brings up extra and if I call her before she leaves her apartment, I'm sure she can add even more to the cart."

Hector told me to text him if I needed him, so I got out my iPhone and sent him a text. He called me right back.

"I can be up in ten minutes, just running search. Less, I let it run," Hector said when I invited him up for dinner and to talk about his findings.

Carlos got Ella on the intercom and told her we'd be three, she said that wouldn't be a problem—our dinner was stretchable but to give her five more minutes. That was fine with me, it would give Hector a chance to get here.

A few minutes later Hector knocked on our door. I let him in. He had his manila folder, plus some additional papers in his hand. I was just about to close the door behind us when the elevator pinged. That had to be Ella; so I waited for her to get out with her cart. I helped her bring things in and we set the dining room table for three.

She pulled out some brightly colored placemats and napkins from our credenza and they really brightened the room and set a festive mood. Too bad our after-dinner conversation was going to be anything but festive. In the meantime Carlos poured Hector a glass of wine and they moved to the living room, speaking in Spanish.

Dinner was a Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu sans bacon along with green beans, glazed baby carrots, a green salad and an herbed rice pilaf. It smelled fabulous. Ella said to let the chicken sit out for five minutes to let the flavors meld, so she put the carrots, green beans and pilaf in our warming oven. I helped her out with her cart then picked up my wine and went to see what Carlos and Hector were talking about.

"Hey Babe," Carlos said, possessively pulling me to him for a hug and a kiss when I entered the room. "Is dinner ready?"

"Ella said to give the chicken five minutes to set, what were you guys talking about?"

"I asked Hector how he liked the class today and he told me about you taking out the paper dummy's penis. Nice move."

"Yeah, well the heart was a little much for me."

"But his penis was ok?"

"Something like that," I grinned and tried to change the subject. "Did you talk to Hector about Rwanda?"

"Not yet, we were just talking about your class. So Lula tried to counter a move and got flipped on her ass?"

"You gotta give her credit. She saw a way out of a move Antonio was demonstrating and she tried it on him. I think she expected to get him on the floor, not the other way around. But it was all in good fun. We learned a lot. I think our five minutes have passed. Join me for dinner?"

I led the way back to the kitchen and took the casserole dishes out of the warming oven. Carlos brought them to the table and set them down on trivets. Hector brought in the pièce de résistance and we sat down to eat.

"Oh! This is fabulous!" I moaned, taking a bite out of the cheesy chicken dish. It was probably low fat; but it tasted delicious all the same.

"Hector," I said, wanting to bring up his investigations after we all had a few bites of Ella's masterpiece, "What did you find out about Briggs?"

"He career…parallel, is tat the word? Ranger's. He in Congo and he in Iraq, same time."

Bingo.

"He in Congo first. He team come in summer of 1999 and he set up to train men in Zimbabwe who support Kabila regime. Ranger team come in early 2000 to train rebels in Rwanda. Briggs team also in Rwanda early 2000. It look like they train on opposite sides."

"Do you have proof?"

"I have research project report March through July 2000, name both Captain Manoso and Captain Briggs. I have printout."

He handed it to me. It was titled _Report: U.S-Congo Relations: Stabilizing the Region or Handicapping Peace? _It was subtitled _U.S. Arms to Africa: A Deadly Legacy. _

Wow. Obviously they were on different sides of the fence and if they were both led to believe that each was on the right side, of course there'd be tension. But to want to kill?

"Hector you brought up Al Hillah and Kirkuk in Bobby's office. This was after Rwanda?"

"Sí, one year later."

Carlos broke his silence and spoke to Hector and I. "I think we need to get this information to Devon and have some professionals investigate further. If we can start a counter investigation that could forfeit the courts martial, I'm all for that. Hector, great job, I'm very impressed."

"Tank you. I just want to help. It feel wrong from beginning and I do investigating on my own time."

"I'm very appreciative and you need to be paid for this. This had to have taken weeks."

"De nada."

"No, it's not for nothing. This is great work. I'd call Devon right now, but I'm sure he's having a little reunion with his family. He was on the plane with us. I'll call him after nine."

"Your courts martial will begin in two and a half weeks. Is that enough time to build a case against Briggs?" I asked.

"Probably not, but Devon can start."

"Steph and Lula running searches on dishonorable discharges from Kirkuk. We want to see if any or all of tem take part in Al Hillah two day before. I tink very possible; it how operations were run. I read about it often."

"That really should go to Devon too. He can get military investigators to start fact-finding and hopefully build enough of a case for an Article 32 against Briggs. If this is all true he could be put away for a very long time."

I felt bad that I interrupted our meal by bringing up Briggs. Nobody touched their plates since I opened my big mouth. "Guys, please eat. Ella will be really upset that we barely touched what probably took her hours to make." I said, trying to bring our attention back to dinner. "We can't do anything until Carlos talks to Devon anyway. Let's at least enjoy dinner. And I saw flan for dessert."

Somehow my little speech worked and we all picked up our forks again. We kept the rest of the conversation light and Carlos refilled our glasses with more wine. When we were done I put up some coffee.

Carlos showed me how to make Cuban coffee so I took the Bustelo Supreme out of the refrigerator and found the stovetop espresso maker. While the espresso brewed I measured the sugar into a mixing container. I added some of the brewed espresso to the sugar and stirred the hell out of it. Carlos said that's how you get it to foam. I then added the rest of the brewed espresso and mixed it till the sugar melted. I poured it into three small cups and brought it to the table with the flan that Ella made.

Carlos and Hector took a sip of the coffee and both smiled. Who says I can't cook…coffee just happens to be my specialty. I let my coffee cool a little, so I started with the flan.

"Oh my God," I moaned, and two surprised heads turned to look at me.

After dinner Carlos asked Hector if he wanted to be in on the call with Devon.

Hector nodded yes. "Sí, gracias."

Carlos said he wanted to get in touch with Tank, Bobby and Les first and then try for a conference call with Devon, as this could affect all of Rangeman. I saw him text everyone and a few minutes later our phone rang. It was Lester and Carlos answered on speaker.

"If you can hold off on the call for five minutes I'll be back in the building. Bobby and I can come upstairs so the majority of us will be in the same place."

Carlos agreed and we waited for them to come up.

Hector and I moved some of the dining room chairs into Carlos' office for the call and I brought out the rest of Ella's flan in case anyone wanted any.

Bobby and Lester knocked on our door a few minutes later and as I was near the foyer, I answered it. I got a kiss on the cheek from Bobby and Lester picked me up and swung me around like a rag doll. "Hey Beautiful. I haven't seen you in a while."

Actually he saw me on Saturday, but I guessed he meant at work. "Come on in, Carlos and Hector are in the office. Can I get you anything?"

They both declined and the three of us joined Hector and Carlos for the call with Devon. As Carlos had texted Devon earlier, this call wasn't going to be a total shock. What would be…was the information Hector dug up on Briggs.

Carlos initiated the call on some kind of proprietary Skype-like program, so we could see one another as well as hear. Lula was in the room with Tank and Devon was in his office by himself.

"I'm sorry to interfere with everyone's evening, but I thought this was important enough that it couldn't wait for the morning. Hector took it upon himself to do some looking back on Brigg's military career and he came across some very interesting findings which he shared with Steph and I tonight." Carlos then told everyone about Rwanda, the Iraqi invasions, Brigg's parallel path and finally about the searches we currently were running.

Tank broke in, "I remember the Rwanda incident. I remember the look on Ranger's face when the other Captain called him a traitor. I remember looking at his nametag and if you asked me two days ago I would have drawn a blank. But I can see it quite clearly now, the name was Briggs."

"It looks to me like we have to substantiate some things before we hit him with a court martial, but if all of this pans out, we certainly have more of a case against him than he does against us," Devon said. "Hector, if I can get all of your findings I'll have my office start to look into it tomorrow. Ranger, you said, Stephanie and Lula were running some searches on the dishonorable discharges?"

"Yes, they started them a few hours ago. They're running in Stephanie's office; they're probably done by now. I can go down, print them out and fax them to you if that will make things easier for you tomorrow," Carlos replied.

"That would be helpful, but why don't I and two of my associates meet you at Rangeman at nine tomorrow. Ranger, I'd like to go through some of the papers in your safe. I know you don't want to dig up all that old baggage, but the more evidence we can find, the better. "

"No, I understand. I'm ok with it and Steph had started to go through the papers and articles earlier. I'll see you tomorrow."

We hung up and I felt drained.


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through. Only one or two more chapters after this; it's been fun and I promise to get to work on that sequel.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

NOTE: There's some smut early in this chapter, and a little deviant behavior. :) (Please don't say I didn't warn you).

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 47 _An unexpected threat_

Hector left after our conference call with Devon and the core team. I was beyond exhausted, but I felt like I needed to connect with Carlos on a very primal level; I needed sex but what I really wanted was still off-limits for another couple of days. Carlos and I both got ready for bed. I had my hair up in a messy side bun, kept that way with a schrunchie. And that was all I wore as I walked into the bedroom. If Carlos could come to bed deliciously naked, so could I.

I did my best imitation of a model on a catwalk as I sashayed towards him on the bed and I saw him respond to me. Carlos in all his glory is a sight to behold and I just took him in as I walked towards him slowly and seductively. I had my eyes trained on his erect penis and I borrowed his line as I got closer. "See something you like?"

"Mmmm Babe, come here."

I was feeling playful, so I shook my head no. "Come and get me." And I turned around and wiggled my ass at him as I walked back towards the bathroom.

Those are words you never use with Carlos, so true to his 'fast and silent' modus operandi he was out of the bed and had me cornered in under a second.

"Dios, the things I want to do to that ass," he said pinning me to the wall, kissing me and grabbing what I just flaunted in his face.

"Tell me," I said in my sexiest voice, low and guttural.

"I want to bite it. I want to lick it and I want to fuck it," he answered, just as low and sexy.

"Will I like it?" I responded, kissing him and pulling him close.

"If I do it, you'll like it. If you don't like it, we can stop. Tell me your fears Babe."

I looked up at him so we were making eye contact. I could see his pupils dilate black; God was he sexy. I decided to give him an honest answer. "A penis is not supposed to go in there."

"Is it supposed to go in your mouth? I know you like that," he said, kissing me again and running his fingers down my back, through the crease of my ass to my very wet vagina, and back up again.

He had me and God was he turning me on.

"Lots of lube and a condom?"

"Lots," he whispered, and we found our way back to the bed.

He lovingly pushed me down onto my back and he positioned his head between my legs. He was using his talented tongue and he licked me slowly from my ass up to my clit. God it felt good. He did it again and again, only moving in that upward direction and I felt myself begin to engorge and desperately want him. On his next attempt he ran his tongue over the perimeter of my anus. He did this again and again while fingering my labia and clitoris. It felt really good. And as he'd done before, he put his fingers inside my ass and massaged me while paying a lot of attention to my clit with his mouth. I came loudly. God he made me feel so good.

"Carlos let's try," I said when I came back down. I really needed much more of a connection.

"Are you sure Babe? I don't want to do anything you don't want to."

"Yes, I'm sure. I want you inside of me."

Carlos had a condom and lube nearby. I saw him put a couple drops of the Astroglide inside the condom before putting it on. He put a lot on the outside and I was enjoying watching him coat himself with the lube.

"Can I do that?" I asked, not wanting him to have all the fun.

"Be my guest Babe," he said and gave me the bottle.

"I'm going to take this real slow," he said while I was coating him up, "and I'll probably have to put on more lube before I try to enter you. Just tell me if anything hurts and I'll stop."

I was nervous, but Carlos went back to treating me to some of his very talented tongue and finger techniques and I relaxed and got very turned on. He put a couple of fingers into me again, and I could feel him massaging my Skene's gland, which is always very pleasurable. He turned me over and I heard him put more lubricant on his condom. I felt the weight on his penis on my perineum and he just slid in. I didn't think he was in all the way. It felt odd, but it didn't hurt.

"Babe are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm ok, you aren't hurting me. It feels different. I feel full, but it feels good."

"Just let me know if I hurt you. I'm going to come out and put on more lube and go in again. I need to stretch you out, and I don't want to hurt you. Are you sure you are ok with this?"

"Yes. I'm ok."

He did as he said and then I felt him inch in further. I was very relaxed and it felt really good. He reached around and fingered my clit as he pumped into me and I came. I mean I CAME. I REALLY CAME. I came really hard, the body shaking, non-stop kind of coming.

D!

I felt Carlos release into me and after a few seconds very gently pull out.

"Babe are you ok?" he asked once again when we were able to speak.

"Wow. I have never, ever experienced that kind of orgasm in my life. That was amazing." There were no words to describe what I felt. "Thank you."

"Babe, I just want to make sure I didn't hurt you. I'm not exactly small."

"No you didn't hurt me, but wow, that was a new experience. I didn't know I could come like that. I feel…I felt so connected to you. When you were inside me like that I felt, God I felt, I felt like we were one. It was different. I felt like I gave myself over to you. God, Carlos, I love you so much."

"And I love you too Babe…forever."

We fell asleep in each other's arms and when I woke up I was sore. Nothing a good hot shower couldn't fix, but I was sore. Carlos was still wrapped around me holding me tight and when I started to stir, he woke up.

He kissed me, then ran his finger over my lips. He looked into my eyes lovingly. "How are you feeling? I hope I didn't hurt you."

"I'm a little sore, but I'm ok. I think after a shower I'll be fine. What time is it?"

"It's 7:30 Babe, I turned off the alarm so you could sleep."

"I have to get up. I have class at nine."

"You'll be fine. I saw Hector in the gym and I told him you might be a little late."

"You were up? I didn't feel you get up."

"Babe. You were exhausted and I thought you needed to recoup a little from last night. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes Carlos. Stop worrying. I'm fine. More than fine. I feel good."

I think that was what he needed to hear…that I felt good. He untangled from me and let me get up to shower. I spent at least ten minutes longer than I usually do letting the hot water cascade over me and when I got out, I really was much better. I did my hair and put on a little makeup and went out to see if Ella had brought up breakfast.

Carlos had coffee brewing and it smelled amazing. He saw me approaching out of the corner of his eye and he poured me a cup—fixed just the way I liked—milk and two sugars. He handed it to me and then pulled me to him.

He lifted up my chin with his fingers, he titled his head, and he kissed me. I'm sure I've told you before that Carlos can kiss. And if he puts his mind into kissing, you can very easily get lost in that kiss. This was one of those kisses. If I wasn't running late and I still didn't have these 'restrictions' I would have taken him back to bed. Yep, it was that kind of a kiss.

"Babe, I love you so much. I hope I didn't scare you last night," he said when we broke apart.

"I love you too Carlos and you'll have to do a lot more than that to scare me off."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

We just held each other for a few minutes and no one said anything. Carlos broke the silence with a question.

"Babe have you thought about what you're going to wear to Maddie's party on Saturday? Should we ask Ella to pick up something for you?"

"What do people wear to these things? What are you going to wear?"

"Women usually dress like they would for a wedding or a bar mitzvah. A lot of slinky dresses and high heels, and a lot of these women should not be wearing slinky dresses."

"Hmm. And what were you going to wear? I hope not a slinky dress and high heels."

"Babe. My mind has been elsewhere, but I was going to ask Ella to pick me up a suit. Unfortunately I didn't think about this sooner since I'll need to have it tailored. I have an odd shape and nothing fits me off the rack."

"I think you have an amazing body. Do you have a tailor?"

"Why Babe?"

"I don't know, I just flashed on Miguel. You know, Hector's new boyfriend? He freelances for all the boutique men's stores. I think he's probably very good."

"Ella has been doing my tailoring, but I don't think she'd be too upset if we tried out Miguel. You still didn't answer my question. Do you want Ella to pick up something for you? She knows your size and what you like and she's got great taste."

"Are you saying I don't?"

"Babe. I'm just saying you don't have a lot of time to go shopping. You always look amazing; although I prefer you naked," he wolf-grinned.

"If she doesn't mind, yes, I'd love for her to get me some things. But if she doesn't have the time, I can wear that blue knotted-dress I wore for Easter and those strappy Jimmy Choos. Remember my grandmother said I looked like a fashion model?"

"You looked hot Babe. Hmm, you might have to model that for me tonight." And he got that far-away look in his eye. Not good for 8:45 in the morning when my sex life was still restricted."

I was putting my gun, ID and my certification manual in my bag when there was a knock on our door. Since I was in the foyer, I opened it. It was Devon and his two associates. They were both very beautiful women—tall, tanned and blonde. These women were lawyers? Can someone who looked like that actually be good at their job? And then I had another thought; I would be leaving them alone with Carlos.

After Devon introduced me to Ashley and Megan I saw that they weren't as drop-dead gorgeous as I thought at first. Ashley had a gap between her two front teeth when she smiled and Megan's mousy-brown roots were showing. I felt much better, but I still made a show out of kissing Carlos goodbye in front of them before I went down to my class. Yeah, I know. Very adult.

The class was more of the same; takedown techniques in the morning and then a break for lunch before our firing range work in the afternoon. I thought I'd go upstairs during our break. I wanted to see if Devon and Carlos and the 'almost perfects' found anything useful in Carlos' safe. I texted Carlos before I came up, just in case they were going through stuff I shouldn't be privy too—like Carlos' government missions or some of the secret Rangeman assignments. Carlos texted me back, "We're going to Pinos want to join us?"

I replied, "I only have 1 hour :( "

I got a text back, "We'll place an online order now. You'll be back in an hour, bring Lula and Hector. What do you want?"

It was a good thing I was still in the gym when I texted Carlos or I would have never been able to find Lula and Hector. I cornered them and told them about Pinos. Everyone wanted pizza, so that was easy. I just texted Carlos back, "pizza".

"We'll take the Hummers, meet us in the garage in 5."

I forgot about the crazies still after us, I had hoped to drive my Mercedes there. But it was ok, the Hummers were fun, we looked like a big, bad-ass caravan.

Tank was with Carlos, Devon and the 'almost perfects' when we got down to the garage. There were eight of us, so we split up four and four. Hector got stuck with the blondes and Devon. Ram drove one Hummer, Cal the other. I told you we'd look like a bunch of bad-asses.

We had a table for ten waiting for us when we got there and our food arrived almost on cue. From now on, I'd order online. What a concept.

While we were eating Carlos got a text from Ella. She didn't like the Armani suits so she got a navy, two button Dolce & Gabbana suit and she found me a dark blue Tracy Reese sheath with an asymmetrical hemline and low back. I wasn't sure who Tracy Reese was, but if Ella bought it, I'm sure it was gorgeous and perfect for the party. Obviously Carlos knew who she was and approved, because he was smiling and looking at me like he could picture the dress on me. Glad that was taken care of.

I leaned over to Hector and asked him in a whisper if he was still seeing Miguel.

"Sí. ¿Que?"

"Do you think he'd like a freelance tailoring gig? Ella just bought Carlos a new suit and Carlos says he needs all his clothes tailored."

"I text him."

Two seconds later Hector got a text back from Miguel. "He say he off tonight, but working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday."

"Can you ask him if he wants a gig tonight—tell him it's us."

"Sí." Hector texted away and we waited. A few seconds later his phone buzzed that he had an incoming text.

"He say I have to take him out to dinner after, but yes, he come over. He ask if 6:30 good."

I leaned over to Carlos who was probably wondering what all the buzzing was about between me and Hector anyway and I told him we had Miguel booked for 6:30. He just smiled at me with that 'you never cease to amaze me' look and raised his eyebrows.

"And what if I was busy at 6:30 Babe?"

"Ella would have to do it. Miguel is only free tonight."

That earned me a 200-watt smile.

The 'almost perfects' were actually a lot smarter than their looks led me to believe and Megan had a wicked sense of humor. It was a fun lunch, although short by Rangeman lunch standards, as Lula, Hector and I had to get back for our afternoon class.

"Chica," Hector said to me as we walked down the corridor to the gun range, "I have English class tonight from 5 to 6:15. I not sure I back in time to clear Miguel through gate. Can you do?"

"I thought it was a one-on-one class? Where is it held?"

"Teacher place in Trenton. Ten minute away."

I wasn't sure Carlos knew it was off-site. I know he didn't want any of us going off on our own, and I was pretty sure that included Hector. I texted Carlos with this latest information and waited for his response.

"Have his teacher come here, I'll pay for his transportation. Kraven knows who Hector is and I will not risk one of my best men," came his reply.

"Um Hector, Carlos wants your teacher to come here, do you know how to get in touch with him? I can call for you. I'm good at making stuff up."

"Sí, I have card." And he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took a card from it and handed it to me.

Since we actually had five minutes before class began, I stepped to the side and took out my phone to call Alejandro Padillo Quiñones.

After two rings it was answered. "Alejandro Quiñones."

"Hi Alejandro, this is Stephanie Plum. I work with Hector Santiago at Rangeman. I understand he is supposed to come to you tonight for his class. We were wondering if you could come here instead? We can set you up in a private conference room. I think you know what we do and unfortunately we have a bad guy tailing Hector."

That wasn't a total untruth, we just didn't know for sure he'd be tailing Hector tonight, or tailing Hector at all but why take the chance?

"Sorry…Alex. Rangeman will pay for your transportation and we have a secure garage." "Thank you very much." "I'll come down and introduce myself to you. Maybe in the future you could teach me some Spanish. My fiancé tends to lapse into it when he doesn't want me to know what he's talking about." "Ha, thanks again."

I turned to Hector, "Ok that's all set. Alex is going to come here."

With that squared away, we went into the gun range. I knew we were getting individual attention today, but I didn't expect to see Junior and Woody with Marcia. I felt comfortable with all of the Rangeman guys so for me this would be a lot of fun.

Somehow I drew Woody. Hector got Junior and Lula, Marcia. We were given our eye and ear protectors and our Sig Sauers and each team had their own booth. For me it was getting over shooting someone, even a paper dummy, in a place that could mortally wound them and my shots to the head or heart usually were off. After an hour or so of shooting and being corrected on my stance or for my aim, I was exhausted. I disengaged my magazine and put my gun down when I knew it was empty. It was too loud to talk in the range, so I led Woody outside as I took off my ear and eye protection.

"I think I'll stick to shooting someone in the right wrist, it's a lot easier than the head or the heart."

"What if they're left-handed? You just cost yourself your life," was his reply, not bending to my plea for leniency.

He was right of course, but that still didn't make it any easier for me to aim to kill. Perhaps if I hadn't had to kill someone early in my career as a bounty hunter I wouldn't have these issues. Who knows, but since he wasn't going to get any more out of me, we quit for the day. I texted Hector 'good luck' and I went upstairs to see how Carlos and team were making out with all the papers.

I knocked on the door before letting myself in, in case they were dealing with sensitive material and Carlos opened the door.

"Babe, did you forget your fob?"

"No I just wasn't sure if I was welcome. You know, you could be talking about some if your secret missions or something."

"Babe, this is your home, you are always welcome. If there were something _secret _going on, we would just put it aside. I never want you to feel like you have to knock," and he pulled me to him and kissed me so that I would know for certain that this was how he felt.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, now curious.

"We found a few things, but nothing we can use to get a Court Martial started yet. Devon took Hector's printouts with him along with a lot of the papers from my strongbox and they were going to go over everything with a fine-tooth comb. This is going to take more than a day to unravel. Want to see your dress?"

"Yes," and he led me into the bedroom, where on the bed was a beautiful, dark blue trumpet-skirted dress."

"Oh my God, this is gorgeous."

"Ella said the Jimmy Choo sandals you wore at Easter would go very nicely with this, but she also picked up another pair of Jimmy Choo's for you. She told me they're called 'Vamp'. She said the nude color would make you all legs," he wolf-grinned.

Since it was still early and we had the place to ourselves, I tried on my dress. It was perfect. It was fitted through the waist and it hit a little above the knee in the front, just below in the back. The back was really low and sexy and when I turned around to show him, he made some kind of guttural noise. Guess it turned him on. I took the shoes out of their box and put them on with the dress. Ella was right; I was all legs.

"You look really hot Babe," Carlos said, taking in my appearance, " but I think you've lost some weight through your hips, maybe Miguel can alter this a little."

I didn't know if Miguel altered women's clothes, but we could always ask. If that wasn't his specialty, I was pretty sure Ella would help me out. Come to think about it, my jeans seemed a little loose lately too. Maybe it was the gym four times a week?

"I guess I should probably get a manicure and pedicure for the party and maybe get my hair done. Even if I leave it long and curly it always looks better when Mr. Alexander does it," I mused as I took off the dress and the shoes.

"I thought we could go out to the house on Friday. Even though Cherry Hill is closer to here, if Julie's coming back with us after the party I want to make sure her room is set up and we have food in the house. You said you liked the manicure place in town, I wonder if there is a good hairdresser there too?"

I knew what Carlos was thinking, even though he didn't say it. He wasn't too happy about me going to the mall, even with reinforcements, while Kraven and Pierce we're still loose.

"Is Philipe married?" I asked out of nowhere.

"Yes he is, why Babe?"

"I don't know. I just thought maybe his wife might know of a good hairdresser around Belmar, I'm not sure I saw one in town."

"I'll call him and ask," he said, pulling me close, kissing me and playing with my hair. "But I hope you weren't thinking about making it straight, I love your sexy curls."

I wasn't thinking about making it straight, the last time I did that it looked like someone took chunks out of it. Mr. Alexander cuts my hair dry and just shapes it, something about making it straight, just doesn't work.

"Babe, do you want to go out to dinner tonight? I feel like I'm cooped up here. I was in all day with Devon and his team. I really need to get out. Just you and me."

"Sure Carlos, but can we spare the extra men to guard us, Lula, Tank, Hector and Miguel? Miguel coerced Hector into taking him out to dinner tonight."

"We have more than enough men to go around and it's only for a few hours apiece."

"Cal and Ram stayed over at Lula and Tank's last night?"

"We had a threat against us. Our plane was sabotaged. Someone is going to stay with them until we have an all clear. I'm not taking any chances with my best men."

I didn't know why I was being so pig headed, I knew it wasn't an attractive feature and I needed to let go.

"I'm sorry Carlos. I don't know why I'm acting like this. I think I was really scared when I didn't hear from you yesterday and I'm being overly clingy today. I'm sorry."

Our doorbell rang before Carlos could accept my apology. It had to be someone from within Rangeman or we would have gotten a call from the desk that someone was coming up.

I quickly ran to put some clothes on, as I was still in my underwear after taking off my dress and Carlos went to get the door. It was Hal and Manny with a large box that had been delivered Fed Ex.

"This just came for you, but when we looked on the roster of packages to expect, we didn't see any for you. We came up to disengage it in case it's a bomb," Hal explained.

They took it to the kitchen and Carlos told me to stay in the bedroom until I heard an all clear from him in case it was a bomb. It was very quiet in the kitchen while they opened the box, then suddenly laughter.

"Babe, come here. I want you to see our threat."

I couldn't imagine what had them laughing so hard until I turned the corner and caught sight of it: a backpack in the shape of a furry monkey. There was a note on it. 'Ranger and Steph- Dad won't let me take this on the plane. My books and some extra clothes are in here. Please keep this safe for me. Can't wait to see you on Saturday. Love, Julie.'

I was grinning from ear to ear. You had to admit it, that kid was resourceful. And she was only twelve. I guess she really did take after her father; where there's a will, there's a way.

Miguel arrived after our 'threat' was cleared away. Carlos tried on his suit and Miguel pinned. Carlos was right, it looked so much better after being fitted. We asked about my dress and he said that wasn't a problem, so I changed back into it along with my shoes to make sure it didn't need to be shortened or anything.

Carlos and Miguel agreed that it needed to be taken in; so Miguel pinned it. He also wanted to fix something in the back that he said 'wasn't laying quite right'. While Miguel was working on the back, Hector called on the intercom to ask if it was ok for him to come up.

Carlos told him to hurry so he could see me in my dress. The Rangeman guys were worse than women. I heard Hector knock a minute or so later, not even enough time for Miguel to finish pinning that wayward bulge in the back.

Carlos let him in and escorted him into the living room where Miguel was holding court. Hector let out a wolf-whistle, which I think was only half for me because after his whistle and a 'you look hot Chica' he walked over to Miguel and gave him a long welcoming kiss on the lips.

I was glad Hector had a boyfriend. I wasn't sure how long it would last, but for now I was very happy for him. After Miguel was satisfied that he fixed the bulge, I changed out of my dress. We gave both Carlos' suit and my dress to Miguel, who promised to have them back to us before he had to go into New York City for a job at Barney's, tomorrow afternoon.

Carlos arranged for guards for Hector and Miguel, but not without protest from Hector. Once Carlos assured him that their protection would be discreet and they wouldn't be disturbed, Hector agreed and they left our apartment holding hands.

I guessed while Miguel was fitting me, Carlos had made reservations for us for dinner and probably set up some discreet security detail as well.

"Wear something nice Babe. I got us a reservation at Amici Milano. It's time I showed off my beautiful fiancé to the 'Burg. After that episode with Gina at Giovichinni's we've been avoiding the area. Time to come out of hiding."

I was sure he had something up his sleeve, but I dressed really nice anyway. The red dress with the slit up the side that practically sent him into cardiac arrest when we were in Florida and a pair of red peep-toed fuck me pumps. It wasn't quite a distraction outfit, but I knew I looked hot.

As soon as we walked into the restaurant, I knew something was up. I caught sight of Mary Lou and Lenny, who never went out to dinner and then I saw Connie sitting with Hal. And Vinnie and Lucielle. And sitting in the corner trying to be discreet were Tank and Lula. My parents and my grandmother were with Uncle Joe and Elaine. Devon and another woman, I assumed his wife, were sitting at a table next to my parents with Shirley and Eddie. Val and Albert, sans kids. Daria and Eric. Oh my God, Gloria and Ricardo and Brett and Lauren.

An engagement party. Just exactly what I didn't want—and he had me. I would have never guessed. I looked around. Oh my god, Hector and Miguel were here. Bobby and a beautiful blonde, was that Ashley, Devon's associate? Ella and Louis and Ram with Megan? And coming up behind me were Lester and Autumn. "Hey Beautiful, did we surprise you? Happy engagement."

"Carlos, I'm going to kill you."

"Babe, not my idea. Blame Val and Ella."


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through. I figured out a way to stretch this out for another chapter, so my story can end on a nice even number—chapter fifty; it's been fun and I promise to get to work on that sequel.

M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 48_ Grandma Gets Revenge_

Ok, if I had to have a party this wasn't so terrible. There were only about fifty people and everyone was really happy for us. This was totally my sister's idea and she coerced Ella into helping her and getting her access to my Rangeman friends and Carlos' family. The only things that seemed odd were Bobby with Ashley and Ram with Megan, what was that about? And who invited the 'almost perfects'?

To satisfy my curiosity after dinner-which by the way _was_ perfect-I sat down with Bobby and Ashley. "So do you two know each other?"

Ashley started to giggle and Bobby took her hand. Obviously they knew each other. "Steph, this is Ashley Schorr."

"Yes, I know we met this morning, and we had lunch together today."

"Bomber, I'm pretty sure someone must have mentioned Ashley to you before. Lester calls her 'Schorr of herself'. We've been going out for a while."

Well that mystery was solved. "Oh, _oh_. So _you're_ 'sure of herself', nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry Ashley; I thought the name was kind of derogatory. I didn't know it was one of Les' pet names and I don't know what I thought. I'm probably putting my foot in my mouth. Geez, I'm sorry. It's really nice to meet you," I rambled on before getting my mouth under control.

"I think it started out derogatory. Bobby told him I was a lawyer and that I was working with Devon. He didn't know me, and well you know how Les can be. But it's all in good fun."

"So is Ram going out with Megan?"

"They just met at lunch today and he was taken with her," Bobby answered. "He asked her to come with him tonight and she accepted. Don't tell me you didn't notice, you never miss anything?"

"I guess I didn't see that, but I did hear her telling some off-color jokes. She's got a wild sense of humor. Next time I'll pay more attention. I was probably too busy arranging for Miguel to come over for a fitting. I'm going to go over and talk to them. Thanks so much for coming. And honestly, it's really nice to meet you, Ashley," I said kissing the both of them.

After that debacle, I wasn't sure I should attempt to talk to Ram and Megan, but my burning desire to know got the better of me. They were deep in conversation when I walked over to their table. I didn't even know Ram could talk; he was always so quiet around me.

"Hi guys," I said, causing Megan to jump.

"Hey Steph, you know Megan, right?" Ram answered for the both of them.

"We just met today..."

"So did we," Megan cut me off with a giggle. "I mean John and I."

"John? I thought your name was Ram?"

"It's John Ramsey, Ram for short. Megan says she can't call me Ram; it makes me sound too much like a porn star."

"Well at least it's not Woody. I mean poor Woody, now that's a porn name."

And the three of us started to laugh. I could see why Ram liked her right away. Aside from being 'almost perfect' she was a lot of fun. All right, I approved. I said my goodbyes to them and went around to visit more of our well-wishers.

I stopped by my parent's table and showed them, Uncle Joe and Elaine my ring. Everyone was very impressed with Carlos' expression of love and happy that I was happy. Of course my mother wanted Carlos and I to come over for dinner on Sunday and I had to explain about Maddie's party and Julie staying with us in Belmar for a few days.

"I didn't know you had a step-daughter," my mother said, obviously tipsy.

"Mom, you knew about Julie. Remember when she was abducted by that maniac trying to get to Carlos? And she's not my step-daughter yet."

"Julia can come to dinner with you and Carlos," my mother went on, not hearing that her name was Julie or the fact that we were staying at the beach house while she was visiting.

I rolled my eyes to myself, bid them adieu and went over to the table where Carlos' parents, Lauren, Brett, Daria and Eric were seated. "Where is Abuela?" I asked, as I was pretty sure I saw her earlier.

"She's here, she's with your grandmother. They went to check out the cake," Gloria said.

Oh no. If anyone could get into trouble, it would be my grandmother. "Did they go into the kitchen?" I asked, thinking about knives and other sharp objects.

"I'm not sure where they went."

As I was wondering where my grandmother might be leading Carlos' grandmother, I heard a gunshot. Followed by another. And then another. I yelled for everyone to get down.

"Under the table!"

I saw Brett, Carlos, Bobby, Tank and Lester produce guns from under their suits and jackets and head towards the kitchen where the shots originated.

"Stay down everyone," Carlos yelled into the room. When I tried to get up to join them, someone pushed me back down. "Stay low, Chica. We don't know what's going on."

I didn't hear any more gunfire, so I assumed the worst was over. My eyes were trained on the kitchen and I saw Sybo and Junior struggling with another man through the porthole window. It was Donny Pearce. You had to give him credit. If he wanted to take down Rangeman and anyone associated with them, he came to the right place.

When I finally saw them cuff him, I moved to get up again to make my way into the kitchen. I was still afraid our grandmothers might be in there, wounded, bleeding or worse.

As I wiggled out from under the table, I felt someone standing behind me. It was my grandmother; gun in hand.

"Come on Steph, let's go get 'em."

I knew I had to get the gun away from her. Her aim was worse than Lula's. "Grandma, put the gun down. Let Carlos handle this."

"Come on. Betsy wants a little action," she said, getting into a shooting stance.

I caught Hector's eye, and as much as I didn't want him to hurt my grandmother, I didn't want her to hurt anyone else. He moved slowly and stealthily behind her and raised her arm with the gun into the air before disarming her and taking the gun away.

He emptied the bullets and pocketed them, then he gave my grandmother back her gun. "Put this back where you had it, the police have been called."

"Ok young man, but you've certainly ruined all my fun," she said, raising her leg and kneeing him in the nuts.

"Grandma!" I yelled and ran over to Hector to see if he was ok.

"I'm ok," he said, as Miguel joined me at Hector's side. "I hear stories about her, but didn't believe them. Your grandma is a wild one."

Most of the room was still crouched under tables as we didn't know if Pearce was acting alone or if he had accomplices. I got my gun out of my purse and made my way over to the kitchen to see if I could be of any help. Bobby stopped me before I could open the door.

"Bomber, Ranger wants you to stay with your guests. We have the situation under control. See if you, Lula and Hector can get everyone to calm down. The police and an ambulance will be here shortly. Pearce wounded one of the kitchen workers and we need to get him checked out."

Satisfied that I knew what was going on and with a job to do, I went back and found Hector and Lula. We got everyone up and seated and told them not to worry, it was just a little dispute that got out of control.

I saw the police arrive, talk to Carlos, then take Pearce away. Obviously, he was working alone. After Carlos and the other Rangemen rejoined the room, our party continued without further incidence.

Val must have been a busy girl to pull this together so quickly and I really did appreciate her efforts. Autumn had made another cake for us, this one much larger but with the same Tiffany theme. And after a couple of quick speeches from Carlos and me thanking everyone for coming, we had coffee and cake.

I finally had Carlos back at my side and asked him what happened.

"Sybo and Junior were watching the kitchen entrance when they saw his car approach. They alerted Tank, Bobby and myself and we told them to let him enter. We planned to access the kitchen from this room and they would enter behind him so we'd be able to take him out without causing a commotion. What we didn't expect, was for him to come in shooting."

"How did he know we were here?"

"Your sister booked the room for the Plum/Manoso engagement party and he must have known how to scan local reservations. It's not hard to do; it's not a closed system."

"So when he saw both our names and the reason for the reservation, he thought he hit pay dirt," I added.

"Oh he hit pay dirt alright, he'll be paying for this for a long time. Shall we thank Val again and say goodnight to our guests? It's been a long day."

"Yes Carlos, I'd really like that."

We made the rounds one more time. We made sure Carlos' family and my family were ok after the shooting incident and were going to get home safely. We both thanked Val again for all her hard work putting this party together. And then we went home.

The rest of the week passed without incident. It fact it was pretty mundane. For Hector, Lula and me it was takedown techniques till twelve and the firing range from one to three.

The only highlight of the week was that we won the Bristol-Myers Squibb account—the whole thing. Security for their three New Jersey locations, and all their data security. It was a big job and we were going to need employees.

I had calls in to DataDependable; to both Peter Burg and this main coder Alex Dasilva who went with us to the pitch. I also had calls in to the Eisenberg brothers at PrimoDataSecure, the company Shirley worked for. I wanted to set up meetings with both of them to talk about a partnering contract or in PrimoDataSecure's case, buying the company outright. We didn't want the Eisenbergs or Shirley particularly, but we did want Bruno Lucas, their wunderkid.

I didn't feel qualified to represent Rangeman when it came to brokering contacts or sales. I wanted Carlos or Tank or even Devon with me. I didn't know how much money to offer the Eisenbergs for their company of six or what a partnering contract was worth. I texted Carlos twice, but he hadn't texted me back. He and Tank were in a follow-up meeting with Campbell's Soup, so I didn't want to call him.

"Hector," I said, relieved to have someone else to ask when he walked into my office, "Carlos wants me to make an offer to DataDependable and set up a contract with Peter. I've never done this before, I thought he'd be in the meetings with me, or at least on the phone, but he and Tank are in Camden at Campbell's. I'm not sure what to do?"

"Make the meetings for tomorrow and talk to Ranger and Tank tonight. You don't have to solve it now, just place the calls and get the meetings."

He was so level-headed and I was freaking out. And was it me, or was his English much better after just one class?

Later in the afternoon I got a call back from Peter Burg. I told him that we won the business, thanked him for Alex's participation and set up the meeting at Rangeman for tomorrow, Friday, at eleven. Right after I got off the phone with Peter, Gary Eisenberg called. I set up his meeting for one, giving us some time to grab lunch between meetings.

I knew Carlos wanted to head out to our house in the afternoon to make sure all was ok for Julie's visit, so I didn't want to make the meetings too late and I didn't want to make them to early. I was taking off from class a couple of days next week and kind of just wanted to lose an hour out of each class tomorrow. I thought I made a good schedule.

I finally got a call from Carlos around four. I told him what I did and I could tell he was happy with my arrangements.

"Proud of you, Babe. And we just won the Campbell's Soup business. The whole nine-yards, so you, Hector and Lula are going to be very busy. Lula in particular, they want to really be very involved in social media. Do you think she can handle it? I think you need to figure out your roles and let me know. I want to get cards printed up and bring you into meetings."

"You already gave us cards, you made me Director of New Business and Hector some kind of hi-tech guru."

"Are those the titles and roles you want? This is your division Stephanie, give it some thought and let me know what you've come up with."

Holy shit. He really was serious. "Um, Carlos, Lula needs an office and would it be possible to move Hector closer to me? He's on the other end of the floor now."

"I see you _have_ given this some thought. Yes we can move some offices around. We hardly use that conference room near your office, I think we can divide it up and give you, Hector and Lula some offices with windows."

"Thank you Carlos."

"You earned them, fair and square. I'll see if we can get the architect in tomorrow and maybe they can start while we're at the house with Julie. I have to go Babe. We're heading back and I need to press some flesh."

I called a quick meeting with Hector and Lula. I told them about Carlos' offer to convert the conference room for us and about his suggestion that we figure out roles and titles.

"I think we are all directors," Hector said, breaking the silence. "We just need to figure out directors of what. I think Lula's is easy, Director of Social Media. Estefania, you want to be new business still or more within our data field?"

"I'll take data, it's what we do."

"Let's google data security job titles and pull our names from there," Hector suggested.

He did and one immediately popped up: Director of Information Security, which sounded perfect for Hector.

"How about Director of Business Development for you Steph?" Lula suggested. "It sounds like it could be anything, and there's one of them listed here," she said, pointing to the google search Hector pulled up.

"Perfect!" Ok so we had it, Rangeman's three new directors. I just had to run them by Carlos and I guess the core team. They could always veto our titles. I sent Carlos an email and got ready to call it a day. Tomorrow was going to be a long one. As I was packing up, I got the ping of an incoming email, so I checked it before leaving.

It was from Carlos. 'Let's talk about your title Babe. I think Hector's and Lula's are fine. I'm in my office."

Shit. I gathered up all my stuff and I made my way to his office. He was reading something on his computer, so I knocked.

"Come in," he said looking up. "Sit down and lets talk business for a few minutes." I felt like I was in the principal's office, but I sat down for the lecture.

"Babe, do you know what a Director of Business Development does?"

"Of course, I googled it. It's like a business planner. You develop new business and you rejuvenate the old. It is kind of what I do."

"Babe, it's actually an economist. It's about knowing business trends before they happen and being able to act on them by comparing them to similar trends and known outcomes. I see you more as our Business Director. It's broader and no one will call you on your lack of an economics degree. Do you understand the difference?"

"Now that you've pointed it out to me, yes. And I think my background in business and marketing would be better suited for a Business Director role. I had no idea about the economic forecasting side of things. We could always hire a specialist to do that if we needed one, right?"

"I wouldn't expect you to do that. You'd be in way over your head and I don't want you to fail. Plus if you're our Business Director, you'll be Business Director for all of Rangeman and we'll be working closely together."

I loved being with Carlos, so I didn't think I would mind working closely with him. It could even have some extra benefits, if you know what I mean.

We closed up Carlos' office and headed out together. I didn't know what Carlos had planned for the evening, but I planned on getting naked with him later. My week of abstinence was officially over and as much as I enjoyed everything else we did, I wanted him just where I wanted him.

"Babe, would you like to go out to dinner? Just the two of us, I promise. Well, the two of us and a couple of discreet escorts, Kraven is still out there."

"That would be nice, but promise me it's not another engagement party."

"I promise. How about that Mediterranean place in Ewing, we could sit in the garden?"

"Won't we need reservations?"

"I was hoping you'd say yes and after our Campbell's win, I made reservations for 7:00. Maybe you could wear that blue Nicole Miller dress and those killer Jimmy Choos. I love the way you look in that outfit."

If it was going to get me laid later, I'd wear a paper bag. "Sure, it's a beautiful dress."

We took the stairs and after Carlos fobbed us in and checked the mail, I went into the bedroom to get ready. It was a particularly sweaty day between the take down practices and the gun range, so I felt like I needed another shower. I didn't want to get my hair wet and have to deal with that all over again, so I opted for just a quick one.

After I dried off and moisturized, I went back into the bedroom to find that blue dress Carlos loved. I saw a few new summer dresses and a couple of blouses and slacks that I never saw before sitting off to the right. I guessed Ella went on a shopping spree for me. I didn't have time to go through them all now, so I just found the dress and shoes and got ready.

It really was a lovely dress and paired with the shoes, my grandmother was right; I looked like I could be in a magazine. Well except for the fact that models were taller than me, and stick thin, but you know what I mean. For me, I looked pretty good.

I guessed while I was showering Carlos had changed. Oh boy, he looked hot. He was wearing charcoal grey dress slacks that fit him perfectly and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had spiked his hair and my sexy GQ Carlos was back.

"Are you ready Babe?" Carlos asked, breaking me from my lusting spell.

"Um hmm, let me just get my bag."

I threw my stuff back into my bag and we headed down to the garage. Carlos fobbed open the turbo and I felt like a million bucks. I loved this car more than any of the others: there were lights and dials all over the place and you sat really low in the leather seats. And this car moved. Oh my God.

We were at the restaurant in ten minutes and a table was waiting for us in the garden. I guessed Carlos ordered appetizers and wine for us when he made the reservation because right after we were seated one waiter brought out wine and another brought out a Meze platter of stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese, olives, roasted red pepper and hummus with warm pita wedges. There was also a side of tomato and cucumber chunks for Carlos who prefers to dip veggies into his hummus.

While we were having our appetizers, the waiter brought out menus and asked us how everything was. Everything was fabulous and he knew it, so why was he asking?

Breaking from his tradition of chicken, Carlos ordered baked shrimp stuffed with crab meat with roasted potatoes and haricot verts. I ordered a blackened breast of chicken with a mango salsa, coconut rice and baby bok choy. Mine didn't exactly sound Mediterranean, but since when did I stick to the tried and true?

We had time to sip our wine and nibble at our appetizers before our mains arrived, so I brought up the data security companies again.

"Carlos how do you know what to offer to purchase a company like PrimoData? They told us they were a sinking ship and had a big debt to pay. How much can a company of six with that kind of baggage be worth?"

"I spoke with our financial advisor. He said at one point the company was worth five million dollars, but now it's barely worth a million. I planned to offer them a million five. They know what they are worth. It's a good deal in their favor and they'll take it. We can keep the Eisenberg's on for six months if that's the kind of transition they want, although the only valuable assets they have are their ConAgraFoods account and Bruno Lucas their coder, so I think they'll want a quick exit."

"And what about Shirley? I know she's a pain in the ass, but I don't really want to see her jobless."

"What does she do for them?"

"She answers the phones and works as their receptionist."

"To work at Rangeman she'd have to go through a lengthy screening process, especially if she had access to any privileged information, but we could start the proceedings and hire her to answer our phones and work as our receptionist. Hal would love to give up that part of his job."

"But she has such an annoying voice and a way about her that could scare potential clients off."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. Voice training. Diction lessons. Something to change the nasal quality of her voice, getting her adenoids removed maybe."

"Do I detect a dislike for her? She's your cousin."

"I don't dislike her, I dislike her whininess. I honestly don't know how Eddie puts up with her."

"We can send her to a Speak for Success course. I think it's a nine-week course given once a week. I can make it mandatory for all our receptionists, starting today."

"Hal will have a shit fit."

"He's not a receptionist, it's just one of the many jobs he, Cal, Manny and Brett do for us. They will be exempt."

"Sounds good to me. I think she'd be happy to keep her job, she told me they needed the money."

Our food arrived and that conversation was tabled. We were going to keep Shirley.

While we were eating I took my shoe off and rubbed my foot under Carlos' pants leg so I could make contact. I don't think Carlos expected that and he jumped for a second before sitting back and enjoying what I was doing to him. It felt very sensual and I don't think anyone could see under the hanging tablecloth. I wanted to let him know that I wanted him badly tonight; although I always want him badly.

"Babe you keep that up and we may have to leave now," he whispered.

"Um. Let's have dessert first, but I'm not stopping," I teased and continued my gentle assault on his leg.

Our waiter cleared the table and asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu. I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew Carlos just wanted Greek coffee, so I ordered for both of us. Two Greek coffees and a Galaktoboureko. A Galaktoboureko is a lemony, custardy-filled phyllo dessert with clear sweet syrup on top. It's orgasmic—and I knew I could set Carlos off if I ate it seductively.

Our coffee and my dessert arrived and I took a bite while I let my coffee cool.

"God," I moaned, licking my lips and rolling my eyes skyward. I took another bite and put on a similar show.

"I know what you're doing," Carlos whispered in my ear between my moans, taking my other hand to his thigh and over his crotch so I could feel the effect I was having on him.

Carlos hurriedly paid the bill and we made our way back to Trenton. We got there is record time and parked in one of the spots closest to the elevator. I had my hand on Carlos' thigh for the entire ride and my hand kept creeping in to caress his penis to keep him erect. I was feeling my absolute sluttiest tonight.

We avoided the cameras and made our way upstairs without me attacking him. Once he opened the door, I pounced.

"Carlos, my week is over and I want you so bad," I whispered, my lips on his ear, my hand on his crotch.

"Babe, you couldn't be more obvious, let's take it slow. I love you too and I always want you. Do you want to take a shower together?"

No I didn't. I wanted the main course and I wanted it now.

I bit my lower lip and looked up at him. He really was so much more worldly than I was and whenever I let him take the lead I was treated to some first-class lovemaking. Carlos is not a 'wham, bam, thank you mam' kind of lover. And he was so sexy looking back down at me; I gave in and nodded yes.

"I want to wash you Babe," Carlos said when we were under the spray from the showerhead. "And I want you to stand still for me and let me get every inch of you."

Ok, this was a new one. I wondered what he had in mind. "Uh, ok Batman, you lead."

He lathered up the bath mitt and started to wash me. He got into _all _my nooks and crannies; sometimes he snuck in a finger or his tongue. God was this erotic and I needed to touch him back.

"Carlos, it's my turn," I said when I couldn't stand the attention anymore without reciprocating. I took the mitt from him and did to him what he did to me, adding in some tongue and touch as I saw fit. We were both very aroused from this little water play and when I bent down to pick up the mitt I dropped, Carlos slipped into me from behind. Between the water cascading down on me and Carlos' attentive fingers and cock, it didn't take much for me to come. God it felt so good to have him inside of me again.

I could feel Carlos using his PC muscles to orgasm but not ejaculate and I knew I was going to be in for an unforgettable night.

After our shower he insisted on moisturizing me with body oil and he got me turned on all over again. He couldn't stop his fingers and tongue from helping out as he spread the oil all over me. After he put the bottle down, I picked it up and anointed him with it too, taking a cue from him and using my fingers and tongue when I felt like it. We were both very slick, slippery and aroused.

Carlos pulled me to him and kissed me, leaning against the bathroom wall for support. His hands were all over me and mine all over him. It was as if we couldn't get enough of one another. He sat me down on top of the toilet and I think he intended to use it as a prop so he could get inside of me from a good angle, but I saw a great opportunity, as his cock was right at my mouth.

I took him in and gave him a nice washing, getting all his bumps and ridges nice and clean all over again. I felt him moan and I knew he came, but he didn't ejaculate into my mouth. Carlos recovers quickly, so within seconds he had me picked up and pinned to the bathroom wall. He lifted one of my legs and put it on his shoulder and he entered me. God, I've never felt that open and aroused. He treated me to some excellent standing sex and whispered into my ear that this position was called 'ballerina', and did I like it.

I couldn't answer him because he added in some very talented fingers and suddenly licked my neck. I came fiercely. Yes, I liked it!


	49. Chapter 49

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.** I will repost when Fredda has had a chance to read through. Just one more chapter to go after this :(; it's been fun and I promise to get to work on that sequel.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 49 The Quinceañara party

I guessed we had sex at least four more times that night, well I could count that I came at least four more times. God this man was going to be my undoing and I loved every last second of it.

I woke up to the alarm going off at seven and Carlos nowhere in sight. He usually went to the gym at five and came back into bed with me after he worked out. But when I woke up I was alone.

After I peed, brushed my teeth and combed my mop with a wide tooth comb to get out the knots that happened overnight, I made my way to the kitchen to see if Carlos made coffee or left me a note. There was coffee sitting in the carafe. I didn't think that much time had passed since he made it, since that oily surface hadn't yet formed. He didn't leave me a note, which meant he expected to be back before I woke up. Something must have come up.

I made myself a cup of coffee and took it with me to the bathroom while I showered and got ready for my day. I wanted to get downstairs a little early to let Hector and Lula know that their titles were approved and give them a heads up about mine. I also wanted to clue Lula in about Campbell's Soup wanting a good helping of social media so she she could start to think about it.

I actually thought the three of us should brainstorm the social media thing as I wasn't sure if she really had it under control. And as Carlos had expressed to me, I didn't want her to fail.

Carlos still hadn't appeared and it was 8:45, so I gathered my things and headed down to the gym. Lula and Hector we're already there as I expected. I gave them the abridged version of the title thing and told them about Campbell's.

"You mean I get to make them a Facebook page?" Lula asked, all excited.

"It looks that way. I guess we should check them out and see if they already have one. Maybe they just want to update it."

Lula already had her new iPad out and was checking.

"They don't have one."

How could they not, everyone had a Facebook page. "Are you sure?"

"Yep, nothing here. Oh boy, this is gonna be great. I have ideas already."

Before she could elaborate, Antonio came over to the section of the gym Carlos had given to us for our class. We said hello and took our seats, ready to start our day. Campbell's Facebook page would have to wait.

Today's class had a little bit of history and a short lecture on physics. 'A body in motion remains in motion' kind of thing before we went on to some new techniques. I was really enjoying this part of the class. I was still not as comfortable with the gun stuff as I felt I needed to be to become as good a shot as Hector. But at least I was still better than Lula, who was going to need a lot of one-on-one.

I had let both Antonio and Marcia know that I needed to take an hour off of both of their classes for Rangeman business. I was so involved in the class that I didn't realize it was ten to eleven until Hector tapped me on the shoulder and showed me the time on his iPhone. I gathered my things and headed for the conference room on two, where I knew the meeting was going to be.

The Eisenbergs, Carlos and Tank were already seated at the table with coffee, bottled water, pastries and bagels. _Pastries?_ Was Carlos getting soft?

I shook hands with the Eisenbergs and took a seat next to Carlos. I hadn't seen him yet today, but didn't want to kiss him in front of everyone, so I just squeezed his leg once I settled myself in.

It seemed like we were waiting for someone else, so I looked at Carlos questioningly.

"Devon and Chester Harris, our money guy," he mouthed just as Devon walked into the room.

Devon sat down on the other side of Carlos and as he was getting comfortable and reaching for a water, Chester arrived. I had never met Chester before, so once he was settled in, Carlos introduced the room.

"Devon Patterson. Chester Harris. Gary Eisenberg and Leonard Eisenberg. And Chester this is our Business Director and my fiancé, Stephanie Plum. I don't believe you've met."

We shook hands all around and my relationship with Carlos was now out in the open. Had I known he was going to do this I would have kissed him earlier. Starting the day without kissing Carlos is like starting the day without brushing your teeth. You feel off for the rest of the day.

Carlos got right down to business and told the Eisenbergs the reason for this meeting. They actually looked relieved. I think they may have thought he had something else in mind. They said they needed a day or two to talk it over with their lawyer and each other, but they would get back to us. The whole meeting took twenty minutes.

"Babe, would you like to join me for lunch?" Carlos asked once the meeting adjourned. "We can bring a couple of Ella's sandwiches upstairs. I want to fill you in on some things I learned this morning."

"Sure. Would you rather go out?"

"I don't necessarily want to bring a contingency, Kraven is one of the topics."

"Ok let's see what Ella has in the breakroom. If I don't like anything I have PB&J upstairs."

Carlos picked up a grilled chicken on whole grain and I went for a tuna salad sandwich. We grabbed a couple of waters and went upstairs.

We sat at the breakfast bar and unwrapped our sandwiches. Mine was a little messy so I brought plates and napkins to the counter.

"What's up?" I asked after we both ate a little.

"Two things. Well three, actually," Carlos said, taking another bite.

"Briggs isn't buying the month of hard labor instead of confinement. Since it's not solely his decision he's been meeting with the tribunal and selling them a line of bullshit. Devon's really angry and wants to build the court martial against him before our trial begins but he just doesn't have enough proof. He's sending his associates to DC to see if they can go through old records and dig up something big. Our word against his won't cut it."

"Shit. That's not good news. And Kraven?"

"One of our sources spotted him at an auction in Philly bidding on an antique cradle. The nasty 'open you up and do major damage to your organs' kind, not the rock-a-bye baby one. His basement torture room was disassembled by the authorities. Obviously he's trying to start up again."

"Fuck. And he hates me, so I'm sure I'm up there on his list. Did he get his cradle?"

"We think so. Our source left before the bidding was complete. He thought we might be able to round him up if he got to us right away."

"But he got away?"

"Yeah."

Well that was pretty fucked up news all around. Briggs _and_ Kraven. I hoped the 'almost perfects' would be able to find that missing piece of info to allow us to file a court martial against Briggs. And maybe if we got it soon enough it would give Carlos and Tank their freedom. And as far as Kraven went, I knew it meant Lula and I wouldn't be going anywhere without escorts anytime soon.

Relaying the information to me only took ten minutes so we still had an hour before our meeting with Peter Burg. While I had him all to myself I thought I'd bring up Julie and see what he wanted to do while she was visiting. I would hate for us to have to stay behind a locked gate for three days.

"So Carlos, do you have any plans for Julie's visit?"

"Our pool is open and I promised Rachel that she would get to know her bisabuelas, so those are some things we can do. The boardwalk at Point Pleasant is another, although we'll need protection if we leave the house. I'm open to ideas, do you have any?"

"There's a zoo in Cape May and that salt marsh safari, which I hear is a lot of fun, is there. It's not that long a ride. I think Julie would like Cape May."

"That's a great idea, we could make a day of it. I'll get us tickets in advance so we don't have to stand on line and be sitting ducks."

I put down my sandwich and walked over to Carlos. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him the good morning kiss I wanted to give him earlier. Carlos is a fabulous kisser, so he took my lead and went with it and when we broke apart I wanted him badly.

There really wasn't enough time for us to have a little fun, take showers and be ready for our meeting, so I had to let do with just a few kisses. Damn.

"Babe, do you want Hector in the meeting with DataDependable? I understand he's doing very well in the ballistics course and Lula could use a lot more one-on-one. Having him in the meeting would give Marcia a chance to work with her."

"Yes, I'd love to have him there. He met Peter and Alex on our visit, so he knows them."

"I'll talk to Marcia. You get in touch with Hector. We're in that same conference room on two."

We got everything all squared away with Hector and Marcia, and Hector joined us on two for our one o'clock. The meeting went really well. They were amenable to the contract and to working at Rangeman when necessary. And they were only ten minutes from our office, so even if we had to go there once in a while, it wasn't a big deal. I felt like things were really moving along.

The rest of the day just ambled on. There were only the two final hours to our class and even though Hector and I were together in one booth working on technique with Bobby, those two hours moved at a snails' pace.

When the day finally ended, I went up to seven to pack. When we usually head out to Belmar we don't take very much with us since we have clothes and everything else we need there. But because we were going to the party, I had to pack my dress and shoes and all kinds of things. And I didn't want to forget Julie's backpack. I had just pulled down a suitcase when I heard Carlos fob open the door.

"I'm in the bedroom," I called out, trying unsuccessfully to get everything into that one small bag.

"Babe, I think you need a larger suitcase, all of this is not going to fit in there."

"But the only other one I have is just too big."

Carlos went into the closet and produced yet another suitcase. "We can both use this one. I was planning on taking the Cayenne anyway so we don't have to worry about space. I'll pack this up if you go get Julie's stuff."

I was really glad he volunteered because I forgot all the suitcase stuffing tips he taught me when we were in Florida and I didn't want to wrinkle my dress, his suit or dress shirt.

"Carlos, do we have an iron at the beach house? If we don't, maybe we should bring one just in case."

"I'm pretty sure when Ella first helped me stock the place she picked up an iron, but get her on the intercom and ask her. I'd hate to find out we don't have one as we're getting dressed."

I called Ella and she said we had a garment steamer, which she preferred over an iron. It was in the closet next to the washer and dryer. I had never used one so I wanted to know how to use it in case we needed it.

"Just fill it with water and plug it in. It's ready instantly, you don't have to wait for it to warm up. Just hang your clothes on hangers, blast them with the steamer and all the wrinkles disappear. Here's a tip though: button the buttons and steam the garment from the bottom up. Also let your clothes sit for a few minutes before putting them on, some things can get a little damp from the steam."

"Thanks Ella. While I've got you, any suggestions for things to eat with Julie? I'm not too sure what kids like and Carlos wants Philipe to shop before we get there."

"You can't go wrong with hamburgers, French fries and pizza. But I bet she'd try anything. She seems like an adventurous kid."

I forgot that Ella had met Julie after the Scrogg incident. "Thanks Ella. You think she'd like sushi?"

"I think she'd love sushi."

With all of my questions answered we packed the car and headed out to the shore. It was a gorgeous day for a drive and the weather was still unseasonably hot. Carlos had classical music on the radio as we drove and the ambiance was so relaxing I fell asleep.

"Babe, we're here," Carlos said softly, pushing my wayward curls out of my face as he got back into the car after fobbing the gate open.

"Hmm, what time is it?"

"It's four thirty Babe. Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?"

"I'm ok Carlos, just give me a second to get my bearings."

"If you want we can go for a swim, the water will wake you up."

"Um, naked?"

"If you'd like, just let me check that Philipe has come and gone," he said closing his door for the short drive up to the house.

Carlos opened our front door and brought the suitcase inside while I slowly adjusted to being awake.

"Philipe was here, I doubt he'll be back. I just want to test the PH and then you want to go skinny dipping?"

I nodded my head yes and climbed out of the car.

Carlos checked the chemicals in the pool while I hung up his suit and my dress and brought Julie's backpack into the smaller of the two bedrooms on the opposite side of the house. I opened the closet and it looked like Ella had gone shopping for Julie too. There were pants and tees and raggedy cut-off shorts and a couple of funky dresses on hangers.

I heard Carlos come back into the house. I closed Julie's closet and went over to our bedroom to meet him.

"The water's fine. Care to join me?" he said as he stripped.

I followed suit, grabbed a couple of towels and we went out to the pool. Carlos picked me up and jumped in with me in his arms, getting us both thoroughly soaked.

"Carlos, you got my hair wet," I complained.

"The only one whose going to see you right now is me, and I love that just fucked look on you," he answered giving me all 200-watts.

We played around in the water. Yeah, we _played around_ in the water, but we were sanitary since Julie would be with us from tomorrow night through late Tuesday and the last thing we needed was her asking things like 'dad, what is this stuff floating in the pool?' You know.

We finally came out of the water and took hot showers to warm up and get the chlorine smell off of us. I applied a lot of conditioner then left my hair to dry naturally.

"Babe, I'm sure you're hungry, I am," Carlos said coming into our bedroom to see what I was up to. "What do you want to do for dinner?"

"I don't know, what do you want to do? I guess we can't go out, we don't have any guards."

"Of course we do Babe. Cal and Ram are in Point Pleasant, they can be either to us or to Lula and Tank's new place in a matter of minutes. Tank and Lula are moving in this weekend. I wasn't going to leave them unprotected. If Kraven did his homework he might be able to find out that information."

"Then let's go out, we'll probably be cooking in a lot over the next few days. I do want to take Julie out for sushi one night though."

"Excellent choice. How about Mexican?"

"Yes, I love that place."

Dinner was really good. It was a simple little place, but the food was authentic and the owners pleasant. We had a nice evening and afterwards Cal and Ram followed us home. I guessed they were staying in the apartment until they heard from Tank and Lula, or until someone else came to relieve them.

I had a 9:30 hair appointment followed by a 10:30 mani and pedi in town. Carlos was coming with me to both as Cal and Ram were going to watch for bad guys while Lula and Tank moved in. We needed to leave for Maddie's party by twelve-thirty the latest. It started at two, and Cherry Hill was over an hour away.

Philipe's wife Sonia had recommended and made an appointment for me at her hair salon in Wall Township. I hoped the stylist was on time as I was cutting everything really close. He was, and he did a great job with my wild locks. I didn't look done up, just cleaned up. After my hair was tamed, we headed back to Belmar for my nails.

Carlos was looking exasperated. He'd never been with me on a beauty run before. Oh, he'd gone to Mr. Alexander with me, but not hair followed by nails. I could tell he was getting impatient.

"I'm sorry Carlos, I promise we'll be done in ten minutes," I told him as they sat my hands under the dryer following my manicure.

I really wanted to get my eyebrows waxed too. I got up and went over to the desk to ask if I could have it added on. I followed the receptionist into the back and came out shapelier five minutes later, still not lying to Carlos about time. I went back under the dryer for five and hoped that my nails would be ok. As soon as I moved to check them again Carlos took out his black Amex Card, paid the bill and we headed home.

I put on my makeup first, and was just adding a second coat of mascara when Carlos came into the bedroom to get dressed.

"Babe, where is that garment steamer Ella said we have and do you know how to use it? I think we're both a little wrinkled."

I got up and went over to see what he was talking about and yeah, we were both pretty wrinkled from being stowed in the suitcase for the ride yesterday. I found the steamer and did exactly as Ella instructed and steamed both his suit and his dress shirt. Then I steamed my dress crease-free. I was loving this thing. If we weren't on a deadline, I'd steam everything else in my closet.

We both got dressed after I made sure nothing was still damp.

"Babe, you look beautiful," Carlos said, taking in my midnight blue tulip dress with its almost sinful low back and my four-inch Jimmy Choos.

"You look pretty hot too. Too bad we don't have any extra time or I'd show you just how hot you look," I flirted.

The drive to Cherry Hill was an easy highway drive and I had the directions to the party which was at a place called the Mansion in Voorhees, almost next door. We bumped into Lauren and Brett in the parking lot and Lauren looked stunning. She was wearing a short black dress with killer heels. She had on long dangly earrings which looked great with her short hair, and she was wearing a lot of eyeliner.

Brett looked really handsome too. I'd never seen him in a suit before. He wore it well-as all Rangemen seemed to.

The four of us went in together, and Carlos was right, this was just like a wedding reception. There were place cards on a table so we went over and found ours. Thankfully we were seated with Lauren and Brett so I didn't have to sit with people I didn't know. We put our place cards down along with my bag and Carlos' jacket to save our seats and Carlos took me over to introduce me to his nieces and nephews who were hanging out by the DJ station.

I had met Dylan, Derek and Ava at our pool party last week, so they knew me.

"Aunt Stephanie, come here," Ava called when she saw us approaching.

Aunt? I guessed I would be, so I smiled and walked over.

"Aunt Stephanie, these are my cousins Maddie, Leo and Ariel. They're Aunt Daria and Uncle Eric's kids. And these are my cousins Sean and Spence, they belong to Aunt Celia and Uncle Rob. Guys, this is Stephanie, Uncle Carlos' fiancé, so that makes her our almost aunt."

"Happy birthday, Maddie," I said, greeting her first since this was her party. "Hi Leo, Ariel, Sean and Spence, it's nice to meet you all," I continued making sure I got the right name attached to the right kid.

Maddie was a very beautiful girl. She was a combination of her Latino mother and her Norwegian father. She was light-olive toned. She had light brown-hair with blonde highlights, dark eyes and that perfect mouth, exactly like Carlos'. She was wearing a short, strapless, orange dress with a flouncy skirt that had about three inches of silvery beadwork around the waist. She was also wearing silver sandals with about a three and a half inch heel. She looked stunning.

"Look at the size of the ring Uncle Carlos gave Stephanie," Ava went on, taking my hand to show off my ring.

While Maddie's was checking out my finger, I felt Carlos leave my side. I turned to see where he was going and saw Julie, Rachel, Ron and their two children I had not yet met enter the room.

I excused myself from the cousins and went over to greet the Martines.

"Steph," Julie yelled, seeing me from the vantage point she had when Carlos picked her up to say hello. She scampered down from Carlos and ran over to me.

"Let me see your ring," she demanded in place of a greeting.

I showed her and she let out a low wolf-whistle.

"Stephanie, this is beautiful. Mom, come and look at Stephanie's ring."

Rachel and Ron came over, followed by the little Martines. They kissed me hello in turn and introduced me to Max and Kayla.

"This is a beautiful ring Stephanie. Did Carlos pick this out?"

"We both did. It _is_ beautiful. It makes me feel like a princess. And speaking of princesses, did you see Maddie yet?"

I really did not want to talk about engagement rings with Carlos' ex-wife, no matter how cool she was. I was going to get off this topic ASAP.

"Uncle Emilio, Abuela," Carlos said when we approached our table and saw them sitting there, "it's so great to see you," he said hugging one and then the other. "I want you to meet my fiancé, Stephanie Plum."

Uncle Emilio and Abuela Maria knew all about me. I guessed Daria really did try to keep in touch with everyone. We were actually sitting with the Martines, Lauren and Brett and Carlos' Uncle Emilio and Abuela Maria. Kind of an odd combination. I guessed we were the pot luck table; but as luck would have it, Julie got to meet one of her great-grandmothers.

It was a really lovely party. There was a candle-lighting ceremony for Maddie. She picked the fifteen most influential people or couples in her life and each one came up to say something inspiring to her and to light a candle on her cake. Of course she picked her parents and both sets of grandparents. Her two great-grandmothers. Two elementary school teachers. A couple of neighbors. Close friends of the family. Her sister and brother. Her Aunt Celia and Uncle Rob. And the parish priest.

It was a beautiful ceremony. I had tears in my eyes and I just met her.

While we were packing up to leave, Julie was saying goodbye to her parents and siblings. And Rachel was crying.

"Mom, what are you going to do when I go off to college? This is only three days. Geez. I'll be fine. Dad and Stephanie will take good care of me. I'll call you every day."

The calling part got Rachel to stop. It really was only three days and we wanted to make it as much fun for Julie as we could. Tomorrow we were going to the zoo and on the salt marsh safari. And I was looking forward to telling her.

Julie talked the whole ride back to Belmar. She told us about her friends at school and her science teacher, who she loved. She was happy she got to meet and talk to her two great-grandmothers and she was most happy that she got to see her cousins and us again.

"I'm so happy you guys are going to get married. Does that mean I can come and stay with you often? Mom didn't want me to come up by myself if it was just dad. She said he has a dangerous job and I'd be in the way."

"I don't think your dad's job is so dangerous anymore. He more or less runs the business, but he is busy. He'll probably have to work a little every day while we're at the house. But we can do things while he's working. And we have a surprise for you for tomorrow."

"A surprise? Tell me. You didn't get a dog, did you? Mom won't let me have a dog. Tell me the surprise is a puppy."

"Sorry Julie, we didn't get a dog," Carlos answered, "but how would you like to go to the zoo and then go on a salt marsh safari?"

"Yes! Excellent. Can we go now?"

"I got tickets for tomorrow. It'll take us about two hours to get there. The zoo opens at ten, you think you can be ready to leave by eight?"

"I'll be ready. Mom says I have to eat breakfast before we go out. Do you have Cap'n Crunch? He's my favorite. Even though mom says he's not good for me. She wants me to eat healthy things like fruit and yogurt and whole grain stuff."

"Well I agree with your mother, Julie," Carlos said as he drove, "all that sugar in those pre-packaged cereals really _isn't_ good for you. We have Greek yogurt and honey and fruit and whole grain bagels and cream cheese. Does any of that sound appealing to you?"

"Sure, I like it all. I just thought you might want to spoil me. You know you only see me once in a while."

I loved this kid. She was going to try to get her way and was not above bribery. We were going to have our hands full.

As we approached the house I told Julie about the iris scan recognition to open the gate. I didn't want her to go out by herself and wonder why she couldn't get back in. Carlos stopped at the gate to show her how it worked.

"Cool. Can you scan me?"

"Next time you're in Trenton, I'll set up the scanner to recognize your iris' too. It'll be our secret. Very few people have access to this place."

As we went through the gate, Julie caught sight of the house. "That's awesome," she yelled in my ear from the backseat. "Do I have my own room?"

Honey, you can have your own wing, just please don't yell in my ear again. "Yes Julie, your own room and your own bathroom."

"Oh cool! Mom said you have a pool?"

"We have a pool and a hot tub. We also have the beach, but the water is still freezing," I answered her question.

"Tell me about the safari tomorrow," Julie demanded as Carlos parked in front of the house.

"I'll tell you later. Come on let's get your stuff inside. If you hurry up and get settled in, we'll be able to go into the pool before it's too dark."


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.**

Well this is it. The last chapter. It's been challenging, but a lot of fun. I had a hard time getting real information about what happens at a courts martial, so I hope this sounds believable. And I googled and watched "A Few Good Men" again for inspiration.

:) M rating

**Extra special thanks to my beta, Fredda **(Rangergirl1234) for all her hard work, the name of this story and encouraging me to write. Fredda, you're the best :)

JE owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive.

Chapter 50 _Over and Out_

I got up at the crack so that we could be ready to leave by eight. Carlos was up at his usual 5 am. After he worked out and made coffee for the two of us, he put together the makings for egg white omelets. I was done with my morning routine by seven thirty so I went to check on Julie who promised to set her alarm.

I knocked on her door and got no answer so I opened it to find her asleep on top of the covers, fully dressed in shorts, T-shirt and sneakers.

"Julie," I whispered, "did you fall back to sleep?"

"Wha? Hi Steph. Thanks for waking me," she said sleepily. "I couldn't figure out how to set the alarm, so instead of bothering you and dad with it, I got ready last night," she said in response to my inquiring look. "I knew if I slept too long you would come and get me. I just have to brush my teeth."

"Your dad has breakfast almost ready. Come out to the kitchen when you're done. And pack a jacket and jeans, the weather could change."

Did I mention that I loved this kid. She reminded me so much of me.

I left her alone to wash up and went back out to the kitchen to get some coffee and to see if I could help Carlos with breakfast.

"Julie got ready last night and slept in her clothes, sneakers and all, so she wouldn't be late," I told him, stirring the sugar into my coffee and taking a sip. "I thought that was brilliant. It was something I would have done."

"And she did this why?"

"So she wouldn't be late. She couldn't figure out how to set the alarm and didn't want to bother us."

"I'll show her how to set the alarm, but why didn't she just download an app? Is she almost ready? Can I put the eggs on?"

"She was just brushing her teeth. Put them on."

Julie came out just as the eggs hit the pan. "That smells great. I'm starving. What is it?"

"Spinach, mushroom and cheese omelets." I noticed he omitted the words 'egg white'.

We ate with gusto then packed the car after we threw everything into the dishwasher. I had Hector's handy dandy traffic app on my iPad and plugged it in to the cord that was under the armrest between Carlos and me.

"What's that Steph?" Julie asked, not missing a thing.

"One of your dad's employees, Hector, created this app. It's like a sophisticated GPS, but it shows you cars that are on the road near you. I'll show you how it works when we get going. The best part is it doesn't have that annoying female voice prompting you."

Once we were on the Garden State Parkway heading south, I turned on the app. A soothing male voice with just the tiniest hint of a Spanish accent said, "Cape May. The driving time is one hour and fifty-one minutes. Road conditions are excellent."

Then I showed Julie the best part. The little cars all around us on the screen looked like the big cars that were all around us on the road.

"Oh this is so-o-o-o cool. Can you load this on my iPad?" Julie asked.

I wondered what Carlos would say. The information the app contained was proprietary. I knew he wouldn't want this to get into the wrong hands, and kids had a way of showing things around.

"When you get your license I'll install it for you. There's confidential information on here. I'm sure Hector can figure out a way to section out that part in the next four years."

"I was going to share it with mom, she always gets lost."

"Doesn't she have a GPS?"

"Yeah but she usually forgets to bring it. I always have my iPad."

"We'll see what we can do, but I think the cute little cars you like are part of the proprietary stuff. I'll have to ask Hector."

Julie entertained us the rest of the ride. She sang along to her iTunes music. She talked non-stop. And she fed us the latest Miami gossip, although we had no idea who she was talking about. Finally a voice came on Hector's app telling us we had arrived. I could swear I recognized that voice. Was it Silvio?

We already had tickets for both places so we didn't have to stand on line. We walked to the gate and once they took the tickets from Carlos and gave him back his stubs, we entered.

"Dad, can I have the stub?" Julie asked. "I want to show mom all the cool things we're doing?"

"Don't you have a camera?"

"I have a camera in my phone, but I want the stubs too. I'm going to put together a scrapbook," she announced. "And I want to take a picture of the two of you here at the entrance. And then I want you to take a picture of me with both of you."

We did as we were ordered then gave Julie back her phone so that we could walk around and look at the animals. Julie was fascinated with a camel that seemed to be shedding his fur, so she took a million pictures of him. And a tiger. And a lion. And the baby snow leopards.

By noon, I was starving and my feet were killing me. We took the mini railroad to bring us closer to the concession stands and grabbed some hot dogs and Cokes for Julie and me and pizza and water for Carlos.

Our salt marsh safari boat ride was scheduled to leave at 1:30, so after lunch I popped the address into Hector's app and we headed out to find Dolphin Cove.

It was a pretty big pontoon boat, but there were only twelve of us scheduled for the tour. We took off on time and Julie kept going from the left of the boat where we were seated, to the right so she wouldn't miss anything. We went through back bays and really cool salt marshes and saw ospreys and egrets and herons and a black-bellied plover. Our captain got us in real close to one of the marshes so we could get a better look at all the horseshoe crabs and baby gulls.

Pretty soon our two-hour safari was over and we were back at the Dolphin Cove Marina where we started. It was fun day and Julie got a lot of pictures. I got a sunburn.

As we were coming off the boat, I caught sight of a shiny, new, black Explorer, so I knew we were being guarded, although no one got too close for comfort. We headed back to the car to decide if there was something else we wanted to see in Cape May before we headed home.

"The lighthouse," Julie yelled, looking up from her iPad where she had googled Cape May. "I _have_ to see the lighthouse."

It wasn't that far from where we were, so we drove to the lighthouse and climbed the 199 stairs to the top to see the beach, the wildlife preserve and an old military bunker. Carlos mumbled that the bunker reminded him of things he didn't want to be reminded of, so even though Julie wanted to see it up close, we vetoed her and set off for home.

I had looked up sushi restaurants the other day when I thought about it and one of the best was located in our town. I called ahead to make a reservation as we drove back to Belmar.

We were treated to more of Julie's non-stop chatter on the ride home. She told us all about horseshoe crabs and had even googled the old bunker by the lighthouse and gave us its history. I was glad we were going to be eating soon as she wouldn't be able to talk with food in her mouth.

Turns out, Julie's an old sushi pro. One of her best friends at school is Japanese and she's been eating sushi for years. Julie even knew the Japanese names for the stuff she liked: maguro, hamachi, tamago and ikura and ordered them that way, much to the Americanized waiter's dismay. We had edamame beans and an avocado salad to start and Julie ordered all of us agari, green tea.

So much for us introducing _her_ to something new.

It was almost eight o'clock when we got back to the house. I remembered that Julie had promised her mother that she'd call everyday, so I mentioned this to her; as much for Julie to keep her promise as for my ears to stop ringing from her constant talking.

The next couple of days, we stayed closer to home. We swam and ran and played volleyball on the beach. The last afternoon we went to the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Of course Julie had to go on all the rides, visit the fun house and go to the aquarium. And lastly she dragged us into a photo booth to get our pictures taken together.

"Guys," she said, when she got her souvenir pictures back, "you can send these out as your engagement pics. I'm sure people would love to see the three of us together."

"We'll think about it," Carlos mumbled back, I think secretly glad today was her last day with us.

After dinner at the house, we took her to the Monmouth Executive Airport where she had a seven o'clock NetJets flight back to Miami. What other twelve year old gets to fly corporate by herself? She was loving it and wanted to sit up front with the pilots. Thankfully there wasn't an extra seat or she would have driven them crazy with her chatter. Carlos was still a little freaked about the severed fuel line on his flight and had the flight safety engineers on the runway before the plane took off and had Julie promise to call us as soon as she landed to let us know that she arrived safely.

We got a call from Julie, Rachel and Ron at 9:36. She landed safely and they were going home. I was happy, but my eardrums needed a rest.

We went back to work the next day, driving from Belmar to Trenton with the other commuters at eight in the morning. I was kind of glad we didn't have to do this every day, as there was more traffic than I would have liked; but once in a while it was fine.

While we were driving, Carlos' phone rang and he answered on speaker so he could talk and drive at the same time. It was Devon.

"Ashley and Megan came up with something and wanted me to run this by you."

"Ok,"

"Think back. Did Briggs ever proposition you?"

"Proposition me for what? Sex?"

"Sex or anything else you can think of."

"I didn't even remember meeting him until I thought about that incident in Rwanda when my men were deplaning. Why are you asking?"

"Ashley dug up some paperwork that was started for a court martial against CW2, Chief Warrant Officer 2, Andrew Briggs on August 15,1992. It was never filed, but she found the papers. It says that he propositioned PFC Ephraim James and SPC Allan Garvey when they were under his command. It doesn't go into detail, and as I said it was never filed. I'd assume it was for sex, but Briggs is a married man, not that that means anything. We looked up both Ephraim James and Allan Garvey and both men were killed in combat in Afghanistan so were not going to get anything out of them."

"Is there a filing name on the paperwork for the court martial? Maybe we can find out something by working backwards."

"Her name was SGT Eileen O'Malley."

"Was?"

"Was. Deceased."

"Is this a little too coincidental?"

"Is it? We're going to keep looking into it. If you think of anything at all, please let me know."

"One thing, if he was a warrant officer, how or why was he on track to become a captain? They are usually very separate chains of command."

"Megan brought that up too. She said he'd probably have to go back to OCS and why would he do that? We're looking into it all. I'll see you later."

"Wait. Did you talk to Tank?"

"I haven't but I will. I gotta go."

"Carlos what was that all about?" I asked after he hung up with Devon.

"Sexual assault in the military is far more commonplace than you'd imagine. It even has it's own name: MST, for military sexual trauma. And it's not only women. In fact the actual statistic is higher for men. About 22,000 military men are raped every year. A lot of the victims are gay men, but certainly not all. I think 'proposition' was just a word on paper for James and Garvey being raped."

"Were you ever raped?"

"No, but I knew a few men who were. They were pretty traumatized."

The rest of our ride into Trenton was pretty quiet. I guessed we were both deep in thought.

I'm sure Devon was doing whatever it was that he did although the week moved pretty slowly. Hector, Lula and I went to class and spent whatever time we could after class talking about Campbell's social media challenges, our data security business and the inevitability of Tank and Carlos spending time in a military jail.

The weekend was on us once again and Tuesday May 8th was fast approaching. Lula and I were going to go down to DC with Tank and Carlos for the trial. We had already arranged time off from our class and were silently freaking out. Devon and the 'almost perfects' hadn't been able to get much more information on the Brigg's 'propositions' so we hadn't made any progress setting up a counter attack in that arena. I was ready for the worst.

On Friday after class Carlos and I took off for the shore. Lula and Tank had invited us for dinner at their new place on Lake Como on Saturday and I wanted to find a housewarming gift for them. What better place to buy something for a beach house than at the beach?

It was still early when we got to Belmar, so Carlos and I went into town to shop. Carlos has great taste so I wanted him with me so we could pick out something together. We went into a couple of the gift shops and nothing really stood out.

"Carlos, where did you get the blue urns we have at the house?"

"I got them in Santorini while I was staying at the safe house we have there after one of my missions. Is that something you'd like to get them?"

"I think they are unique and beautiful, but I don't want to come over to their house empty-handed while we wait for something to come from Greece."

"Come with me, I think I know just the place," Carlos said, taking my hand and leading me out of the store. We got back into the car and drove to the nearby town of Spring Lake. Carlos parked in front of a building and we went inside. The place was cool. There were all kinds of unique furnishings and lamps and urns and just wild stuff.

"How did you know about this place?" I asked Carlos, picking up a large throw pillow.

"Ella said she got a few things here and that we should come back if we ever wanted to dress our place up a bit. It's a fun store. What do you think of this?" Carlos asked, picking up a blue and metallic urn that was filled with red long-stemmed roses and conical greenery.

"What a beautiful urn. Very different from ours, but still very unique. I like the roses touch. I wonder if she'll sell us this with the flowers in it?"

"I'm pretty sure she would. It looks like they have fresh flowers for sale. Do you want to get something for our house while we're here?"

"I like our sparseness, but what about some pillows for the couches? These are so beautiful and they match the color of our urns."

We left the store with eight pillows and the urn of flowers for Tank and Lula. I felt so happy that we discovered this place. I knew I'd be going back there again.

It was a real easy going evening. Carlos opened a bottle of wine and we grilled up some chicken and veggies skewers and just sat outside enjoying each other's company. It was so different from last weekend with Julie and all her energy. It felt good to do nothing.

We took a walk down to the beach after dinner and sat on one of the rocks. I was sitting between Carlos' legs and he had his arms around me, nuzzling my neck. Just a few months ago I would have never imagined this. I would have never expected for us to end up together, but it felt so good, so right. Like we were just supposed to be.

I leaned back into Carlos. "I love you so much. Even just sitting here with you like this. I couldn't be happier."

"I love you too Babe. Forever. Let's go back to the house and let me show you," he answered, turning me to him and kissing me. "Let's play with some of those pillows you just bought."

Oh boy, playful Carlos. I guessed I was going to be in for a treat.

As we walked back along the beach Carlos was erotically running his hand over my ass and kissing my neck. I was getting pretty turned on. When we got to the house Carlos led me to the living room. The room was dim because we hadn't turned on the lights. He grabbed some of the pillows and threw them on top of the flokati rug. Then he pulled me down on to the pillows with him as he kissed me.

"Dios Babe, you intoxicate me. I can't get enough of you," he said drawing me closer to him and lifting my T-shirt over my head. "I love your breasts," he whispered softly, still kissing me. "And your nipples," he added, removing my bra and moving his mouth to one of my breasts and using his very talented tongue and hands to pay a lot of attention to them. "And I love your ass," he continued, unzipping my shorts and pulling them down while still anointing my breasts with his magical mouth. "And your vagina," he added, removing my thong and moving his head from my breast to between my legs. "I love the way you taste, so sweet and sumptuous."

And God I was going to come. I moaned with pleasure as he put a couple of fingers into me and continued using his tongue on my vagina. I guessed somewhere along the way he removed his shorts since I felt his erection, heavy on my leg. He moved some of the pillows under my hips and suddenly he was inside of me. Very deep inside of me. God he felt so good. He was hitting my g-spot as he thrust into me. And God did I come. "Oh God Carlos," was all I could get out as he ran a finger, wet with my juices, around my perineum. He was still pumping me and from the angle these pillows thrust my pelvis into, I came again. God, I liked these pillows.

Carlos rolled me over, so the pillows were now under my lower abdomen. I had no idea how he stayed in me as he did this little maneuver, but him moving inside of me as he turned me felt incredible. He was now at the perfect angle to take me doggie style. He was fingering my clit as he pumped into me again. I reached back and ran my hand over his balls and massaged them gently. It felt like he was going to come, so I squeezed the base of his penis to hold him back, and we fucked this way for a bit. I loved how he was hitting all my happy spots and I came loudly as he thrust hard. Then I felt him ejaculate into me.

Carlos usually uses his PC muscles to come but not ejaculate, and we can go for hours, so I was wondering why he came. Perhaps this angle wasn't good for PC control.

"Babe let's go into the hot tub," he said after our breathing returned to normal. "I want to savor every hour I have with you and we need to relax a bit."

Ok this was different. But I'd follow his lead. Carlos grabbed a couple of towels and we went out to the hot tub. He lifted the lid, turned on the jets and he helped me in. He sat down and sat me between his legs, so that we were chest-to-chest and groin-to-groin.

"Babe, I just wanted to elaborate on the reality of the situation," he began after we loosened up a little from the warmth of the water and the force of the jets. "Our trial starts Tuesday and according to Devon will probably last two days. Chances are slim that we'll get off entirely. He is still pushing for four weeks of hard labor because that's what Tank and I would prefer, but we could be turned down."

"I understand Carlos," I interrupted.

"There's nothing I hate more than being away from you, so I'd like to make this weekend as special as we can."

"Carlos, every day we spend together is special. And we just had a wonderful weekend with Julie. I'm good with anything. Staying home. Going out. I just want to be with you. I love you Carlos. This is going to be as hard for me as it will for you. But we'll get through it, and we'll both come out stronger."

Now I understood the need to go into the hot tub. Carlos wanted to talk. I was glad he wanted to be so open with me and force me to really look at what was most-likely going to happen. We would be separated.

I inched myself even closer to Carlos so that I was practically sitting in his lap then I leaned down and kissed him. He kissed me back, picked me up and lifted me out of the tub.

"Let's go back into the house and continue where we left off. It looked like you enjoyed those pillows we left on the floor."

We made love on the living room floor and then we moved the party to the bedroom. I woke up at seven in Carlos' arms and we made love again. I was really going to miss this.

We spent a leisurely morning together, then we got ready to go over to Tank and Lula's. I wrapped their gift as best I could, but there was no way to hide the flowers, so they jutted out from the gift-wrapped box. I didn't want the urn to fall over so I had it between my legs in the front seat while Carlos drove, which pretty much blocked my view.

Their house was beautiful and it really was just a ten-minute ride away. It had a widow's walk on top where you could see over the lake and right out to the ocean. I had expected that their boat would be on the lake, but it wasn't. They kept it at the Brielle Marina as their lake was motorboat free. We drove over in Tank's Hummer and were treated to both Lula and Tank piloting us through the protected areas off the Atlantic. It was a lot of fun.

And who knew Lula could cook? She made us a fabulous dinner of grilled shrimp over whole grain cous cous with a spicy cucumber-papaya salad that was out of this world. We really had a wonderful time with them.

We spent Sunday and Monday together at the house—swimming, strolling on the beach, making love and preparing and eating meals together. Did I mention making love? Pretty soon Tuesday morning rolled around.

We had a 6 am flight out of Monmouth Executive as the trial was to begin at nine. Our NetJets plane was full. There was Tank and Lula, Devon, Ashley and Megan and Carlos and myself. I knew our plane was going to be checked by flight safety engineers for any tampering, but I never noticed their presence.

No one spoke on the ride down. I guessed we were all in our own worlds. I was praying for the best but prepared for a three-month separation from Carlos. Lula was holding on to Tank's arm for dear life. I've flown with her before and she is not a nervous flyer, so I assumed it was her way of dealing with her anxiety.

We landed and as expected, were met by men in black with a Hummer and escorted to the courthouse. I sat with Lula and Megan. Ashley was helping Devon with his defense and was sitting up at the bar table with him. In case they needed last minute access to records, Megan would be able to go to the Library of Congress across the street.

I saw Briggs, the judge and the tribunal, enter and take their seats. Briggs listed the charges against Carlos first, and then the charges against Tank. Devon took the floor. He went into detail about Carlos' many government missions and what he did on each of them, going where no man wanted to go, saving third world countries _and_ their presidents lives. He then drew a similar picture of Tank. I could see the tribunal taking this all in.

Pretty soon it was noon and we broke for lunch. Tank and Carlos weren't allowed to have contact with us as we might sneak them weapons or some other contraband, so we ate in the cafeteria with Megan. My feeling of dread began again when I saw the tribunal enter while we were eating. I guessed they knew who we were as they nodded to us as they passed. I felt totally creeped out and even if I was still hungry I wouldn't have been able to eat another thing.

We went back into the courtroom after lunch and Devon set up the defense. Carlos and Tank both took the witness stand and told the story in their own words about getting Carlos out of Somalia after the helicopter that was supposed to bring him back to civilization was shot down.

This all seemed to be going relatively quickly, I somehow couldn't see this lasting another day. I mentioned this to Megan who told me what the second day was for.

"It's for a post-trial review by the CA and a recommendation as to what action to take on the case. The CA can suspend or disapprove a finding."

"What's a CA?"

"The convening authority, he makes the final decision."

Carlos and Tank's day in court ended, and the seven of us were escorted by Hummer to our hotel. It all seemed pretty civil to me. I wondered if all court martial proceedings were this civil. Something told me not.

We had arranged to have dinner together in the hotel restaurant and discuss the day. Carlos and I had a little over an hour together before we were scheduled to meet with everyone. We went up to our room to talk.

"It seems to be going well," I said positively.

"Babe at this stage of the game there is no well. Both Devon and Briggs were just stating fact. At least fact as they know it, or fabricated it. Tomorrow will be the make or break. The CA will decide our fate."

"You said if you're convicted they will lock you up right after the trail. So tonight could be our last night together for a few months."

"Yes, that's how it works. I'm hoping the CA will be lenient and take Devon's offer."

"I didn't hear him offer anything?"

"It was done behind closed doors. Devon has been speaking with the judge regularly. The CA knows what we we're offering. Let's go down to dinner, we can discuss this with everyone there."

On Wednesday afternoon Lula and I flew back to Trenton with Devon. The 'almost perfects' were staying on in DC to do some more research and to begin an appeals process. Lula was going to stay with me for a few days until one of the apartments opened on four. When we got back to Haywood Cal and Ram met us in the garage and took Lula back to her and Tank's house in Trenton so that she could gather some things.

I went up to seven and fobbed myself in. I headed right into the kitchen and sat myself down with Rex. I took him out of his cage and petted him. I knew Rex could only take so much attention before he'd turn around and bite me, so I kissed his head and put him back. Then I lost it and began to cry. "Rex, daddy's not coming home for six weeks. He'll be chipping away at rocks in Ft. Benning, Georgia."

A/N I promised a sequel and I'm going to get started on it, but first I need to put some effort into finding a job. If anyone knows of any freelance of F/T advertising art director/ACD jobs out there, please let me know. I'm in NY, but can work remotely. I'm really good at what I do. My website is elaineashburn dot com. (we all know that FF doesn't like urls so please take out the spaces and change the dot to a dot.) Thank you again for reading along. And please review :) Elaine


	51. Epilogue

A/N Thank you so much for all the kind words and reviews. I really appreciate all your enthusiasm. You guys are the best :)

I'm so sorry I disappointed so many people with the last chapter. I didn't mean to, I just wanted to leave some loose ends so the sequel could start off with a bang.

**Please note: This chapter is unedited.**

:) M rating

JE owns the characters; I'm just taking them for a test drive.

**Epilogue — The lost hours**

As soon as Carlos and I joined Tank, Lula, Devon and the 'almost perfects' at dinner, I knew something was up. Tank and Lula looked sullen, Devon as though he had to deliver a death prognosis to a sick patient and the 'almost perfects' were hiding under their menus.

I was just about to ask Lula what was up when Devon spoke.

"Sit down. I just got out of the judge's chambers."

We took the two empty seats at the end of the table and Devon continued.

"The judge and the CA called me in for a quick debriefing. As you know tomorrow's court appearance is just for a post-trial review and a recommendation on the sentencing. The CA has already come to a conclusion."

He paused while we took this in, then continued

"As much as he and the judge understand all the hard work the both of you put into your government missions they feel that you did commit a crime and that it can't go unpunished."

I held my breath and wished he'd get to the point and just stop beating around the bush.

"I asked again for leniency. I told them that you both would opt for hard labor if it would get you out faster. The good news is that they agreed; the bad news is that they don't feel four weeks is time enough. They think the crime was nothing short of, now this is a direct quote, 'a lot of balls on the part of Rangeman,' and they are going to announce the sentence tomorrow morning. It's six weeks of hard labor at Ft. Benning."

Devon paused again so that we could take this in, then he continued.

"I don't have to tell you it's hot in Georgia this time of year and your hard labor is not going to be a day at the beach."

Suddenly I wasn't hungry anymore and I didn't hear another word that anyone said. There was a loud whirring in my ears and my eyes lost focus. I guessed I passed out. I woke up to Carlos putting cold compresses on the back of my wrists and forehead.

"Babe, are you ok?" I heard from a very distant place.

I shook my head no, as words weren't able to form yet.

"Babe, do you want to go upstairs? We can get our dinner to go."

I shook my head yes, I really didn't want to sit here for another minute when what I needed was Carlos as close as humanly possible.

"Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?"

I opened my mouth to say that I'd be ok in a minute and I could walk, but nothing came out. And suddenly I started to shiver uncontrollably. I heard Tank say that I was in shock and felt the two of them pick me up and bring me over to a chaise on the side of the room.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a few of the wait staff bring blankets and wrap me up like a mummy. They raised my legs so they were up on the arms of the chaise. I was so cold and I couldn't stop shivering. I heard someone say that the house doctor had been called and would be here shortly and I felt a million eyes on me.

Carlos had my hand and was talking to me calmly.

"Babe you're in shock. The house doctor is on his way and an ambulance has been called. I'm not going to leave you."

I shook my head no, I didn't want to go to the emergency room, but I couldn't get the words out. I didn't want for my last few hours with Carlos to be spent in an emergency room with tubes in my arms and up my nose. I tried to convey this to him by shaking my head violently no.

I guessed someone thought I was having an epileptic fit as the collar on my shirt was loosened and my head rolled onto its side. I heard someone asking everyone to remain calm and to give me a lot of room, that I was having a seizure.

I wasn't having a seizure I was just reacting violently to the thought of being separated from Carlos. The paramedics arrived and put me onto a stretcher and a man, I supposed the house doctor joined Carlos and myself as they took me out to the waiting ambulance.

God, if I could only stop shivering I could tell them that I was ok.

The last thing I remember was one of the paramedics giving me a shot of something and Carlos holding my hand to his lips.

I woke up in a hospital bed, an IV in my arm and an oxygen tube in my nose. My breathing was back to normal and I was no longer cold. Carlos was at my side as he promised.

"Carlos, what happened?"

"You passed out Babe, then you went into shock. The doctor's want to watch you for about another hour. They know about the trial so they are not keeping you overnight, they just want to make sure you're out of the woods."

"Carlos, I'm so embarrassed."

"Shhh Babe, it's ok. No one is judging you; everyone is worried. Lula and Tank are outside. How are you feeling?"

"I feel ok now. I was so, so cold. That's all I remember, just being so cold."

"That was the shock Babe. Do you want some water?"

I shook my head yes and Carlos brought a cup of water with a straw over to my mouth and let me take a sip.

"Not too much Babe, small sips."

"I want to go home. I mean back to the hotel. I don't want our last night together to be like this."

"I know Babe, I wasn't expecting this either. But we need to make sure that you're ok. Trauma is not something to mess with. Do you want to try to sleep a little?"

Hell no, if the doctors caught me sleeping they'd probably try to keep me. I nodded my head no.

"Please Carlos can we get a nurse or someone to come in here so that they can see that I'm ok? I really want to go back to the hotel."

"Ok Babe. I'm just going to go out to the desk to see if I can find someone. I'll be right back," he said, taking my hand with the IV and kissing it.

When Carlos left Lula and Tank came in.

"Hey, how are you?" Lula asked coming over to me.

"I'm ok. I've been through so much worse than this. I can't believe I passed out."

"Girlfriend the passing out isn't why you're here. You went into shock. I guess it was all too much for your system. I just spoke to the nurse outside, she says they're going to release you, they just want to check your blood pressure one more time."

Thank God.

Carlos came back with a nurse wheeling her blood pressure machine. She attached the cuff and took my temperature while the thing automatically squeezed the hell out of my upper arm. I was glad when it finally let go of me.

"146 over 80, you're coming down. I'll let you leave when that top number goes below 140. Just sit still and I'll be back in ten minutes. Would you like some juice?"

Actually juice sounded good so I nodded my head yes and she produced a package of apple juice from her cart. She disconnected the attached straw, punched it into the hole and handed it to me. Tank, Lula and Carlos watched me drink. It was beyond embarrassing.

Probably about twenty minutes later the same nurse came back into my room. She disconnected my IV and took the oxygen tube out of my nose.

"You're free to go. There's a car waiting for you outside, but I have to take you to the door in a wheelchair. Hospital policy. I'll be back with it in ten minutes. In the meantime your fiancé can help you get dressed."

Lula and Tank left with the nurse and Carlos helped me get my clothes on. I was still a little shaky and glad he was there for support. The nurse came back just as I was getting my shoes on and she helped me into the wheelchair. This certainly wasn't the way I wanted to spend my last evening with Carlos.

As promised there was a new, shiny, black Hummer waiting for us outside. Lula and Tank were already seated in it when Carlos helped me in. Even though it was a short ride back to the hotel it felt like it took forever.

We were escorted up to our floor by five men in black who treated the four of us like presidential material. Two of them opened Lula and Tank's door and went inside to sweep it before letting them enter. Then they came over to our door and did the same. I heard the other three tell Carlos that they would be outside if we needed them. Wow, I guessed we rated.

Needless to say, Carlos and I did not make love that night. He held me and I held him. We kissed and snuggled and lay together as one, his breathing calming me and finally lulling me to sleep.

I woke up to the alarm on Carlos' iPhone going off. It was five am. We were due back at the courthouse at eight for the official sentencing. I felt Carlos' erection poking me in my side as he moved to turn the damn thing off. Never one to let good morning wood go to waste, I seized the moment. As he turned back to me, I took his cock in my hands and brought my mouth down to 'kiss' him good morning.

Carlos groaned and knew I made the right move. I took him into my mouth and treated him to some extra special licking and sucking. I ran my tongue under his head, cupping his balls and I heard him moan. Suddenly he was on top of me and then in me. And his hands and his mouth were all over me. God, this was what I needed. We didn't make love—we fucked. And we fucked hard and the both of us came together, hot, sweaty and spent.

We took a shower together after we regained use of our bodies and got ready for what was going to be a very hard morning. Carlos ordered in room service while I was doing my hair and makeup. Blueberry pancakes for me, and a spinach and cheese egg white omelet for him. He even ordered me extra syrup.

I hadn't had blueberry pancakes in months. In fact, I think the last time I had them was while we were on our mock-vacation as the Colóns in Florida. I took one bite, expecting to moan with pleasure, but I found them to be room temperature and soggy. Not exactly my favorite combination.

"Carlos, how's your omelet?" I asked, hoping his last taste of freedom was better than mine.

"Cold. Not good. Are you ready? Maybe we can grab a bite in the restaurant before we have to leave for the courthouse. Neither one of us had any dinner last night."

"I'm ready, should we let Tank and Lula know where we're going?"

"The guards will let them know. I don't want to disturb them. The car is picking us up at 7:30 and they know to be downstairs for it. Let's get something to eat."

As soon as we opened the door and stepped into the hall, two of the guards were on us. Carlos told them we were going downstairs for breakfast and one of them spoke into his walkie-talkie thingy. I guessed he was telling some other poor guard where we were going.

One of them went down in the elevator with us and nodded to someone else in black as we stepped out. At least they weren't on us like they were last night. We walked over to the restaurant and were seated right away. The waitress brought coffee and took our order promptly as if someone told them we were on deadline. I'd say not even five minutes passed before there were two steaming egg white omelets; hash browns with mine, sitting in front of us.

We both took bites at the same time and smiled at each other. This was more like it. I didn't realize how hungry I was and finished off my omelet with a few bites. I looked over at my other plate and someone had eaten all my hash browns. Guessed it was me.

Carlos was still savoring his omelet and I was still hungry. I caught the waitress' eye and she came over. I asked her what they had for dessert and she looked at me like I was crazy. Dessert at 7am? Well I needed something sweet.

She came back over with the menu and I ordered another cup of coffee and a piece of blueberry pie. Since I didn't enjoy my blueberry pancakes, I hoped the blueberry pie wouldn't disappoint.

"And can I have that warmed up?" I asked as my waitress turned to leave.

I caught Carlos smiling at me, all 200-watts. God, I loved when he smiled.

"Babe."


End file.
